SHAKUR STEVENSON is a four-weight world champion after outclassing Teofimo Lopez but he wants Conor Benn next.
The pair of 28-year-olds were supposed to be in a 50-50 pick’em for Lopez’s WBO super-lightweight crown.
Shakur Stevenson dominated Teofimo LopezCredit: Cris Esqueda Matchroom Boxing
But the Newark southpaw was so superb that the bout was over by the third round as he had downloaded all the necessary data and had the win in the bank before the ink on his latest mega-money Saudi cheque was dry.
The three ringside judges agreed with the fans, scoring the masterclass: 119-109, 119-109 and 119-109.
And then bleach-blonde Benn entered the ring and got his name in the frame for a whooping.
“I picked him apart,” Shak grinned about Lopez. This is the art of boxing, hit and don’t get hit, pick guys apart.
“I said I am the best boxer on the planet and I can beat anyone.
“I was the stronger, faster and smarter fighter, no disrespect to Teofimo, he gave me a chance and he’s a great fighter.
“Where is Conor Benn? I want him. My skills are too much. Sign the contract. Let’s make it happen. He’s food.”
Lopez – who was born in Brooklyn and had the iconic bridge etched onto his fight kit, but moved to Florida as a child – was booed as he delayed his entrance into Madison Square Garden.
The Home of Boxing in 2026
There's a massive year of boxing ahead!
It’s shaping up to be a blockbuster year of action inside the boxing ring.
will to make his return in April against Arslanbek Makhmudov, is closing in on a world title shot and Fabio Wardley will defend his newly won heavyweight crown.
Canelo Alvarez will be hoping to return after his defeat to Terence Crawford and heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk will also need to defend his straps.
Derek Chisora will fight for the 50th and (perhaps) final time against Deontay Wilder, while Daniel Dubois is also on the comeback trail.
A whole bunch of British stars could also take a leap into superstardom, with the likes of , Hamzah Sheeraz and Adam Azim ready to join the very top of the sport.
Up first we have a massive fight with Stateside superstars and Teofimo Lopez meeting later this month in Madison Square Garden.
Here’s all the big fights coming up…
January
- Sat 31 – Teofimo Lopez vs Shakur Stevenson – WBO super-lightweight title – DAZN PPV
- Sat 31 – Bakhram Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly – IBF super-welterweight title – DAZN
- Sat 31 – Francesca Hennessy vs Ellie Bouttell – BBC2
February
- Sat 7 – Nick Ball vs Brandon Figueroa – WBA featherweight title – DAZN
- Sat 21 – Ryan Garcia vs Mario Barrios – WBC welterweight title – DAZN PPV
- Sat 21 – Leigh Wood vs Josh Warrington – DAZN
- Sun 22 – Claressa Shields vs Franchon Crews-Dezurn – heavyweight unification – DAZN
- Sat 28 – Emanuel Navarrete vs Eduardo Nunez – super-featherweight unification – DAZN
March
- Sat 14 – Jazza Dickens vs Anthony Cacace – WBA super-featherweight title – DAZN
- Sat 28 – Moses Itauma vs Jermaine Franklin – DAZN
- Sat 28 – Sebsastian Fundora vs Keith Furman – Amazon Prime PPV
April
- Sat 4 – Derek Chisora vs Deontay Wilder – DAZN PPV
- Sat 11 – Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov – Netflix
Stevenson, from nearby Newark, was the home fighter who had thousands cheering his ring walk.
But once Lopez revealed the incredible Jabbawockeez dance squad were accompanying him to the ring, the roof blew off.
Lopez got his green gloves fizzing off straight away, counterpunch king Stevenson was happier returning fire.
But he instigated a brilliant one-two, the best combination of the round, to get a stake in the opener, although the 28-year-old Honduran-American had pushed the pace.
Lopez committed to every attack, often stepping into a southpaw stance.
But that played into 28-year-old Stevenson’s ice-cool gameplan to punish his athleticism.
One lurch even resulted in the Newark left being bundled for the floor, for no count.
Super-smart Stevenson had the mathematics of the fight wrapped up by the third.
The grinning challenger had sussed out Lopez’s range and varied angles and he was harder to hit and rarely missing with his jab.
It was like watching a mastermind matador at work.
Lopez never stopped huffing and puffing but he was being made to look clumsy and desperate.
When he tried to throw a few straights to the body, Stevenson telegraphed his intentions and punished them.
A little left hook landed first, then he altered the trajectory of the punch by a couple of inches, turning it into an uppercut, and that almost dropped Lopez, who staggered across the ring without touching down.
It happened again in the fifth but without Lopez being staggered, the ref then had to give them a warning about head clashes, as Lopez was barging in.
Sadly for Lopez Jr – whose attention loving dad is also his sunglasses-wearing coach – the only advice coming from the corner between rounds was: “you’ve got to hit him!”
And, by the sixth stanza, he was cut around his left eye and hemorrhaging ideas.
Stevenson had three-weight undisputed king Terence Crawford two yards away, barking a steady stream of advice and the protege was doing his boxing big bro proud.
It was a seven-round landslide shutout, with just five left on the clock, when the crowd lost interest in the one-sided sense of the big occasion.
We were getting a Stevenson unanimous decision, whether the fans liked it or not.
A brief Lopez attack to the ribs was the only highlight of the eighth.
Stevenson was not even getting out of third gear but a counter right-hook was the highlight of the ninth.
Stevenson made the tenth look like a sparring session, when he tried out clever ways to counter Lopez’s crude attacks. And The Takeover’s whole left side of his face was a bloody mess by the end of the session.
By the penultimate shift, Stevenson was so comfortable that he took the centre of the ring, pushed the pace, and bullied blood-stained Lopez all over the ring.
A few uneducated fans marched out in the final round, bemoaning the lack of action. But, while their eyes had glazed over by 1am, the rest of us had been mesmerised by a genius in action.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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