Teofimo Lopez confirmed on X yesterday that he will return to the ring in January 2026. WBO light welterweight champion Lopez (22-1, 13 KOs) did not specify a date in January, only the month. He also failed to reveal the opponent.
The whole world knows it’s going to be Shakur Stevenson, but Teo chose not to mention him in his post. Turki Alalshikh is believed to be involved in financing the fight. It is unknown which of the two fighters is causing the break in negotiations, but fans are blaming Lopez because of his reputation for being difficult to deal with.
January 🤙
— Teofimo Lopez (@TeofimoLopez) November 5, 2025
Fans are getting tired of Teofimo’s teasing
The way Lopez dripped the news about this matchup irked fans, who saw it as tiring since it wasn’t a particularly big fight to begin with. Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs) isn’t particularly entertaining to watch with his outdated late-Mayweather style.
With negotiations between Shakur, 28, and Lopez dragging on, many fans will be disappointed if the fight does not materialize. Lopez (28) has repeatedly mentioned that he will fight in January 2026.
It is unclear why he bothered to post the same thing yesterday about his return. What he should have done was shake up the fans by naming a list of the top four candidates he is considering for that month.
At the very least, it will make boxing fans wonder who it could be, as many of them hate the idea of ​​watching a chess match between Teofimo and Shakur.
Stevenson’s grueling win over Zepeda
Assuming the fight is made, Stevenson will freeze his WBC lightweight title and move up to 140 to challenge Lopez for his WBO light welterweight title. Stevenson is coming off one of the toughest fights of his career against William Zepeda on July 12, 2025. He took a beating in that fight from the Mexican fighter.
Shakur defeated high-volume puncher Zepeda by a 12-round unanimous decision over Turki Alalshikh’s event in Queens, New York. The fight was a grueling one, with Shakur taking numerous body shots and probably being knocked down by a right hand 30 seconds into the third round.
Although Stevenson later claimed to have slipped, slow-motion replays showed him being hit with a solid right hand from Zepeda, causing him to collapse into the ropes, which were holding him up. The contest showed Shakur’s vulnerabilities on full scale. He lacks strength and cannot stand and fight without taking great punishment from his more powerful opponents.
Teofimo has taken a lot of heat from fans for the way his promoters at Top Rank have strategically matched him since he moved up to 140 in 2022. Instead of matching Lopez against A-level fighters, he was repeatedly paired against victorious opponents, such as Steve Claggett, Arnold Barboza Jr., Sandordro, Campine Jr. Interestingly, two of Lopez’s wins were controversial over Sandor and Jamaine.
The 140-pound shark Teofimo has yet to face
- Gary Antoine Russell
- Subriel Mathias
- Keyshawn Davis
- Alberto Puello
- Ernesto Mercado
- Kevin Brown
Opposing Shakur gives Teofimo more time to avoid fan pressure to face these fighters. But eventually Teo will have to face the music and start fighting these talents. He can’t make a career out of poor punchers like Shakur, Martin, Barboza Jr and Claggett.
Last updated on 11/05/2025
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