Trainer Jose Benavidez Sr. isn’t interested in playing favourites when it comes to the January 31 fight between Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson. To him, this isn’t a puzzle that needs solving. It’s a dead even fight. Fifty fifty. Whoever shows up clear-headed and ready to work probably decides it.
Benavidez still believes in Lopez’s physical upside, and he doesn’t hedge when he talks about it. The power matters. The athleticism still separates him. When Lopez is switched on, he doesn’t need long stretches to take control of a fight. One moment can flip everything, and that kind of threat forces opponents to react instead of settling. In that state, Lopez is difficult to manage, even for someone as disciplined as Stevenson.
The problem is that version of Lopez has not been automatic lately. Some nights he looks sharp and confident, fully engaged from the opening round. Other nights he drifts, searching for rhythm well into the fight. That swing, more than any tactical question, hangs over this matchup. The talent is obvious. The reliability isn’t.
Stevenson presents a different kind of challenge. Benavidez doesn’t argue with the skill. He calls him “super good” and means it. But admiration only goes so far. Stevenson’s usual approach leaves him cold. Too careful. Too much emphasis on staying untouched. It works, but it doesn’t excite him, and Jose doesn’t pretend otherwise. Stevenson has been open about not wanting to stay in harm’s way, and Benavidez takes that at face value.
That’s why the fight against William Zepeda caught his attention. Stevenson stayed closer than usual. He exchanged. He accepted pressure instead of immediately escaping it. For once, the control didn’t come at the expense of engagement. Benavidez enjoyed that version of Stevenson because it showed something different, something he rarely sees, even if it runs against Stevenson’s instincts.
When Benavidez talked about the fight on MillCity Boxing, there was no attempt to dress it up. No fighter walks in with an edge already baked in. This isn’t about clever plans or paper advantages.
Lopez brings volatility and danger. Stevenson brings structure and caution. At some point, one of those approaches will be tested harder than the other. The fighter who doesn’t retreat into habit when things get uncomfortable is the one most likely to come out on top.
That’s not fence-sitting. That’s reading the fight honestly.
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Last Updated on 01/14/2026
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