We’ve got a fight! Shakur Stevenson vs. Teofimo Lopez

It’s difficult to be a boxing fan nowadays.

Why? Because good matchups are few.

The best boxers don’t fight much. Maybe once a year, sometimes twice.

Take Shakur Stevenson, who fights Teofimo Lopez this Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York. As talented as Stevenson is, he fought once in 2024 and twice last year.

Lopez, a good fighter as well, boxed once last year and twice the year before. The inactivity hurts the sport.

But I digress. I’m not here to whine and bitch. ( I sort of did, though)

The fight between these two guys is a good one. Both are highly skilled. Lopez has lost once in 23 fights. Stevenson is undefeated and hardly loses a round. He wants Lopez to push him.

“He (Lopez) has the skill set to shine,” Stevenson told Ring Magazine last month. “I actually set this fight up, and I honestly did it because I want to push myself. I know that Teo is a tremendous fighter; I know he’s on an extremely high level. I know that I can beat him, but I know that this should be a tough test, so I’m ready.”

The fighters are opposites in and out of the ring.

Stevenson is cool, calm, and collected.

Lopez is emotional, explosive, and exciting.

His high point was defeating the exceptional Vasyl Lomachenko in 2020. Many, including this writer, figured that Lopez had bitten off more than he could chew. Lopez dominated the opening rounds as Lomachenko was passive and defensive. Lomachenko picked up the pace in the later rounds, but it was too late. Lopez won the fight and ate up the spoils. He celebrated and celebrated some more.

When he defended his title over a year later against heavy underdog George Kambosos, Lopez wasn’t in a good place. Kambosos knocked him down and hung on to win the fight.

Lopez,28, was fortunate to get past Sandor Martin several months later. He fought Josh Taylor for the WBO super lightweight title and surprised many by defeating the then-unbeaten Taylor. Lopez won his next three bouts, but didn’t score a knockout. He’s mercurial, for sure.

Stevenson, also 28, captured his first world title six years ago and picked up his second in 2021 by stopping Jamel Herring. He moved up to the lightweight division and beat Edwin De Los Santos to win the vacant WBC belt in 2023. He defended his belt last July against William Zepeda, another undefeated fighter. Stevenson boxed circles around Zepeda, cruising to victory. Fans have criticized Stevenson’s cerebral style for several years. Take more chances, they said. Winning isn’t always enough in boxing.

You must entertain.

He boxed less and slugged more. The result was the same: a dominant win, but the critics were happier.

The win didn’t impress Lopez. “I don’t respect Shakur,” Lopez said. “He thinks he can take my throne. He had everything handed to him. I haven’t. Everything I achieved, I worked for.”

So who wins?

This one should be fun, with pockets of action.

I see Stevenson winning, but it won’t be easy.