Teofimo Lopez Speaks On Timeline For Targeted Super Fight With Shakur Stevenson

WBO World Super Lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez has established himself as one of the top fighters on the planet in recent years. With a 22-1 record, a shock upset against George Kambosos Jr. is the only time 'The Takeover' has been bested.

Although a fight with Devin Haney fell through for Lopez earlier in the year, he is seemingly still in the market for a notable bout.

One fight that boxing fans have been hoping gets made is Lopez versus Shakur Stevenson (24-0), who currently reigns as the WBC World Lightweight champion. Now, it appears that a fight between the two may be a possibility.

Teofimo Lopez Speaks on Potential Shakur Stevenson Fight, Implies Bout will Happen in 2026

Eddie Hearn reveals timeline for a potential Shakur Stevenson vs Gervonta Davis fight — IMAGO / Torsten Helmke

There is clearly respect between Lopez and Stevenson as the two target one another for a notable bout in the future, with both fighters speaking highly of one another.

During the Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford post-weigh-in show, Stevenson and Lopez spoke to the Ring Magazine about a potential fight. The super lightweight champion was eager for the meeting, as he explained why the pair should fight.

"In order for people to see, and to make boxing great again, you have to fight the best, correct? So if he [Stevenson] is the best at 35, and he's willing to come up to my weight division at 140, we lace it up, we make it happen."
Teofimo Lopez

Lopez added, "I think we've known this since we were signed for Top Rank... I think we both understand that the winner of this is the leader of the new school."

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Days later, Lopez doubled down on his desires to face Stevenson when once again speaking to the Ring Magazine. 'The Takeover' said regarding the potential fight, "We're excited. Me and Shakur are prepped. We really want to give the fans and everyone else that's involved in boxing, just overall a good showing."

"We want to get it down. We both want to fight. We want to get it down. We talked about it on the X app. Now it's all about the business side."

When asked if he truly believed the fight would happen, Lopez responded, "I don't see why not."

With the fight seemingly still in early negotiations, Lopez was not able to offer many details on the potential bout. However, he did say during the interview, "It's going to happen early next year, 2026."

Lopez last competed on the event at Times Square, New York, in May, when he defeated Arnold Barboza Jr. via unanimous decision. As for Stevenson, he was victorious in July when he took on William Zepeda in Queens.

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