That perspective is a big deal because Stevenson could have sat tight. In theory, he could have forced the negotiations to come to him. Instead, he is making a conscious choice to meet the opponent where they are strongest, right in the division where Teo already holds the keys.
“He’s the guy at 140. So, I can’t make him come down to my weight class. I got to go up to his weight class,” Stevenson said.
This isn’t a case of Stevenson playing it safe. He could have stayed put and forced the world to come to him, but he chose to meet Lopez on his home turf. Since Lopez isn’t moving back down to 135 after years away from the weight, Shakur realized he had to be the one to make the move.
Of course, the massive payday helps. Moving up to face a bigger, more dangerous puncher like Lopez is a risk, and the millions on the table certainly make that risk more worthwhile. Without that upside, a move against a guy with Teo’s power might not have happened.
When Teofimo started squawking about making Stevenson quit on his stool, Shakur didn’t get emotional about it. Instead of firing back with his own wild predictions, he analyzed the psychology behind the talk.
“I think his ego is kicking in right there,” Stevenson said, reacting to Lopez predicting a stoppage and claiming Stevenson will either quit on his stool or get knocked out. “He’s trying to trick his mind into believing the things that he’s saying.”
Even the “quit on the stool” trash talk from Teo didn’t seem to rattle him. Instead of getting mad, Shakur sounded almost hyped that Lopez is talking that way. He’s leaning into the role of the guy people underestimate right until they’re stuck in the ring with him.
“When he says I’m slow, we both know, and we all know, when he fights big, slow guys like Josh Taylor and Arnold Barboza, that’s where he attacks and feels more comfortable because he’s got a speed edge,” Stevenson said. “But when he fights somebody that is smaller, faster, and guys that’s not even that good, like Kambosos, he has trouble.”
Stevenson is banking on his speed and control to be factors in defeating Lopez. If his read is right, Teo is going to be out of his league on Saturday.
“When a guy loses to George Kambosos, I wouldn’t lose to him in a million years,” Stevenson said. “On my worst night, I wouldn’t allow George Kambosos to come out victorious against me. That’s my response to that. Let’s see if I’m slow on fight night.”
Stevenson is pointing directly at Teo’s biggest career slip up and saying he’s just a different breed of athlete.
Still, by saying this, Shakur is putting his own neck on the line. If he has a bad night and Teo steamrolls him, he’s never going to live those words down. But he doesn’t seem to care. He’s simplified the whole fight: Teo can’t handle speed, Shakur is the king of speed, and he’s daring Lopez to do something about it.
“I enjoy that because that’s when guys underestimate me,” Stevenson said when asked about Lopez predicting he will quit. “They don’t understand what they’re getting in the ring against. When you get in there, you realize things are a lot different than when you were watching it, though.”
That right there is Stevenson warning everyone that film study is a total lie, and he’s convinced Teo is studying a version of him that won’t even show up. He’s betting that the second the bell rings, the sheer speed and the twitchy reactions are going to hit Lopez like a massive reality check he never saw coming.
The Ring 6 card featuring Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson takes place Saturday, January 31, 2026, at Madison Square Garden in New York. The event will air on DAZN pay-per-view in the United States, priced at $69.99.
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