Oscar De La Hoya Breaks Down Teofimo Lopez vs Shakur Stevenson With Prediction

On January 31, WBO World Super Lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez (22-1, 13 KOs) will take on rival Shakur Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs) in an attempt to make a fourth defense of his title.

The fight is set to take place at Madison Square Garden in New York in what will be one of the biggest boxing events of the year. Stevenson is making his debut in the 140 lbs division as he is aiming to become a four-division world champion.

Ahead of the event named 'The Ring VI', Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya has given his take on the bout and its importance in the sport of boxing.

Oscar De La Hoya praises Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson as he makes bold prediction

Although De La Hoya will not be directly involved in the promotion of Lopez vs Stevenson, he has a lot of anticipation for the upcoming bout between the two champions.

Speaking to Fight Hub TV, De La Hoya was asked about his feelings on the fight. "It's going to be a great fight," the former multi-weight world champion said. De La Hoya then went on to comment on his admiration for the men on both sides of the bout. "Teo is a hell of a fighter - I love Teo. But I love Shakur."

When it came to the stylistic pairing of the two, De La Hoya feels that the defending champion Lopez might possess the skillset to do what no other fighter has done by defeating Stevenson.

"[Stevenson's] style is almost impossible to break. But, if there's a fighter who can break it, it's Teo."
Oscar De La Hoya

"I love Shakur because he doesn't run," De La Hoya said. "He's right there in front of you. So, it's up to Teo do something."

Although the promoter did not announce a specific winner for the bout, De La Hoya said that the fight was going to be a "great fight for boxing."

Stevenson is moving up to the super lightweight division, having successfully defended his WBC title three times. His most recent win came in July 2025, when he was the victor in an exciting fight with William Zepeda in New York.

As for Lopez, he was able to hand an unbeaten fighter their first defeat in his last outing. Featured on the Times Square card in New York in May 2025, Lopez had a convincing win over Arnold Barboza Jr., who had a 32-0 record going into the bout.

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