Legendary trainer Teddy Atlas has weighed in on the upcoming clash between Shakur Stevenson and Teofimo Lopez.
Three-weight world champion Stevenson is set to make the move up to 140lbs in the first quarter of 2026 to challenge WBO super-lightweight champion Lopez, with an official announcement expected to be made very soon.
Stevenson currently holds the WBC world lightweight title, making the most recent defence of his crown on July 12 when he outclassed Mexico’s William Zepeda over 12 rounds at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York City.
As for Lopez, the 28-year-old from Brooklyn was last in action back in May when he defeated mandatory challenger Arnold Barboza Jr via unanimous decision at the conclusion of their bout in Times Square.
The potential Stevenson vs. Lopez match-up has garnered plenty of interest from the boxing world, with Hall of Famer Atlas the latest to now share his thoughts.
Speaking on his own YouTube channel THE FIGHT, Atlas spoke about the strengths of both Stevenson and Lopez as he claims their upcoming clash is going to be ‘interesting’.
“I think Shakur showed aggression in his last fight against Zepeda. You know, being elusive while being aggressive, walking them down, fighting on the inside, boxing well, still being able to counter, still being able to control space but also be able to go into tight corners and not be afraid to show that he’s good on the inside too. That he can make you miss and make you pay outside and inside.
“Shakur showed that, that was great, and people applaud him. I applaud him. Teofimo showed you that he can fight inside, he can fight outside, he would have the advantage of power in this fight. You know one thing that I love about this fight bud? Shakur’s very athletic, very talented. So is Teofimo, he’s more explosive with power, but Teofimo is very athletic. He is very talented. You got two athletic guys, two talented guys. Again, Teofimo I would favour with the power. This is going to be interesting.”
The American duo have been going back and forth with each other on social media over the last few weeks as they prepare to do battle in what could be one of the most exciting bouts of 2026.
