Teofimo Lopez vs Shakur Stevenson Set For January 31 In New York

After weeks of speculation and chatter among the fighters on social media, an official announcement was made on Monday that WBO and Ring Magazine junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) will face WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs) on January 31 in New York at a venue to be announced later.

The event is called ‘The Ring 6’ and will start the PPV series for DAZN, as they have publicly announced they will deliver at least 12 PPVs in 2026 after launching their new “Ultimate” package. This package replaces the need to buy individual PPVs and enhances the current DAZN subscription. Matchroom Boxing will promote this event, as Eddie Hearn revealed last weekend.

Stevenson will be moving up in weight to fight Lopez since the big fights at lightweight don’t seem to be happening anytime soon. For Lopez, he’s been looking for a big fight after his lackluster victory over Arnold Barboza Jr. in May. Both fighters are guys who get up for the big fights, so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of magic or lack thereof that two counterpunchers like Lopez and Stevenson will deliver on January 31.

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Here is what the champion Lopez had to say on the press release sent out earlier in the day.

“Duck, Duck, Goose! Are you ready for New York City? Brick city in the concrete jungle, so let’s get ready to rumble! The Takeover is here to stay, not play. Make Boxing Great Again is my forte. Shakur will fall in nine.”

Stevenson, who has never been one to avoid a big fight, had this to say:

“I have never shied away from a challenge and always chased the biggest fights in the sport because I know I am one of the best boxers in the world. Teofimo Lopez will learn that firsthand on January 31 when I take his belt and show him that there are levels to this game. New York, get ready for a spectacular performance as I take over a fourth straight weight division.”

Currently, the venue is unknown, although rumors suggest that Madison Square Garden might host this huge fight. Don’t count out the Barclays in Brooklyn, as it has hosted major events before. Regardless of the location, boxing fans are marking their calendars because this is a fight that can’t be missed.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is the founder of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms to include online, network TV and promotional companies. He is an American Public University alumnus and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, contributed to FanSidedMMA and ProBoxTV.

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