Oscar De La Hoya has shared his final thoughts ahead of the upcoming clash between Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson.
Brooklyn-native Lopez will make the fourth defence of his WBO world super-lightweight title against Stevenson at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York City tonight.
Victory for Stevenson would see the 28-year-old from Newark become a world champion in a fourth weight class, having already conquered the featherweight, super-featherweight and lightweight divisions.
Lopez will have plans of his own however as he looks to continue the fine run of form that he has been on since he suffered a shock defeat to Australia’s George Kambosos Jr in November of 2021.
Speaking to DAZN Boxing recently, Oscar De La Hoya shared one final verdict on the showdown between Lopez and Stevenson as he previews what could be one of the most exciting bouts of 2026.
“I like the Teofimo [vs] Shakur fight. I actually am a big fan of Shakur Stevenson. He’s a tremendous fighter defensive fighter, but he’s a sleeper when it comes to the offence. You know, people sometimes feel he doesn’t have power. He doesn’t throw enough punches or he runs.
“On the contrary, I’ve seen Shakur Stevenson stay in front of you in the pocket. Yes, maybe he doesn’t hit the hardest but he knows how to connect. He knows how to win. He doesn’t really worry about knockouts and that’s what makes him dangerous.
So, I think Teofimo has his hands full but you have to look at Teofimo and his style and his mentality. I think Teofimo’s a confident fighter. He has Bruce Lee type techniques and rhythm. He knows how to use the ring. He can hit. The only question that I have for Teofimo, are we going to see the Teofimo of old?”
The winner of tonight’s clash could turn their attention directly to a potential unification clash, with reports suggesting that newly-crowned WBC super-lightweight champion Dalton Smith is interested in sharing the ring with the winner next.
