Coach Jose Benavidez Sr. isn’t interested in playing favorites when it comes to the Jan. 31 fight between Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson. For him, it is not a puzzle to be solved. It’s an even fight. Fifty fifty. Whoever shows up clear-headed and ready to work probably decides that.
Benavidez still believes in Lopez’s physical upside, and he doesn’t mince words when he talks about it. The power matters. The athletics still separates him. When Lopez is on, he doesn’t need long stretches to take control of a fight. One moment can turn everything around, and that kind of threat forces opponents to react instead of settle. In that condition, Lopez is difficult to manage, even for someone as disciplined as Stevenson.
The problem is that rendering 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 deep into battle. That swing, more than any tactical question, hangs over this game. The talent is obvious. The reliability is not.
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 remaining unaffected. It works, but it doesn’t excite him, and Jose doesn’t pretend otherwise. Stevenson has been open about not wanting to stay in the 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 traded. He accepted pressure instead of immediately escaping it. For now, the control did not come at the expense of engagement. Benavidez enjoyed that version of Stevenson because it showed something different, something he rarely sees, even if it goes against Stevenson’s instincts.
When Benavidez talked about the fight MillCity Boxingthere was no attempt to put it on. No fighter walks in with an edge already baked in. It’s not about smart plans or paper benefits.
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 habitually doesn’t back down when things get uncomfortable is the one most likely to come out on top.
This is not fence-sitting. This is reading the fight honestly.
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Last updated on 14/01/2026
