Teofimo Lopez is set to defend his WBO junior lightweight title against Shakur Stevenson on January 31 in New York, Turki Alalshikh’s Ring Magazine have reported.
It is one of boxing’s worst kept secrets that Lopez and Stevenson were in talks for a bout, but the official announcement came today (December 1) for the highly anticipated clash. As reported by BoxingScene on Saturday, Eddie Hearn will promote the event on behalf of The Ring/Riyadh Season, and it will take place in New York City with a venue yet to be confirmed.
The WBC lightweight champion Stevenson, 24-0 (11 KOs), will be moving up from 135lbs and will be attempting to win a title in a fourth weight class. The undefeated Stevenson has not fought since his impressive win over William Zepeda back in July, where he also featured on a Ring/Riyadh Season event.
This will also be Lopez’s second bout backed by Saudi Arabia, having fought on the underwhelming Ring show in Times Square, New York, back in May. Lopez, 22-1 (13 KOs), was then in negotiations with Riyadh Season to face Devin Haney, but there was a late breakdown in negotiations. Instead, Haney would go on to successfully claim the WBO welterweight title with a 12-round points win over Brian Norman Jnr on November 22.
Stevenson’s bout with Lopez represents a standout name that Stevenson has been chasing since his departure from Top Rank. Lopez’s sole defeat was a shocking loss to George Kambosos back in 2021, and he has claimed titles at both 135lbs and 140lbs.
