Ring VI Shakur and Teofimo battle for supremacy at MSG

Stevenson is an incredibly talented defense-first fighter. His hand speed and precision hitting give opponents a lot to worry about. He was infamously labeled a “Tom and Jerry fighter” by boxing Turki Alalshiki in reference to him “running away” from other fighters.

An undefeated three-division world champion who rarely loses rounds, the biggest problem Stevenson has faced so far in his career is translating his talent into marketability. Stevenson says he’s passed the point of worrying about whether fans and fellow fighters respect him. “I don’t let it bother me anymore. I just keep it moving and train hard. They had no choice but to accept me. And after I win this fight, they’re going to have no choice but to accept me and respect me.”

In Stevenson’s last fight on the Ring III card against the relentless William Zepeda, Stevenson showed he could handle the onslaught of a pressure fighter for twelve rounds while generating his own offense. Stevenson was able to use his trademark defense to dodge or counter most of Zepeda’s punches while landing quality combinations of his own.

López said of Stevenson: “I’m going to show everyone that his defense is not as flawless as they say it is. That’s my job, that’s to show the real mistakes that the world can’t see.”

Teofimo López will defend his championships in the fight, but will enter as the underdog. A confident technician, López was a mercurial figure throughout his career. His best wins, against Vasyl Lomachenko and Josh Taylor, are more impressive than any Stevenson has on his resume. These were the only two other times López was a betting underdog in his career.

López can sometimes frustrate fans by seemingly fighting at the level of his competition. Still, when López is in a big fight, you know he’ll bring his A-game. The only loss Teofimo had in his career was against George Kambosos. In that fight, López fought, against medical advice, despite suffering a small tear in his esophagus as a result of his weight loss. López lost by split decision in a decision Stevenson admitted could have gone his way.
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When Teofimo and Shakur got together for press events and promotional appearances, there was a unique energy. Teofimo is magnetic, whether you love him or hate him, and can single-handedly carry a promotion. Shakur has the quiet confidence that comes with a strong skill level and a belief in himself. The men were mostly friendly towards each other in the lead up to the fight.

This Ring VI event will take place at Madison Square Garden, the Mecca of boxing. Previous Ring Magazine promoted cards in the past year have taken place all over New York City. The first card under the Ring Magazine banner took place in May inside a ring built in the middle of Times Square. The Ring III card took place in July last year at Louis Armstrong Stadium, part of the US Open Tennis Complex in Queens. Ring Magazine staging these events all over New York City has done a lot to revitalize boxing in the city.

New York City has served as the backdrop to many memorable moments in boxing over the past century. An estimated 70 million people tuned into their radios when Joe Louis beat Max Schmeling at Yankee Stadium in 1938. Madison Square Garden hosted The Fight of the Century between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in March 1971. Eighteen days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Bernard Hopkins survived a classic midshipman Felweix Trinidad. Katie Taylor knocked out Amanda Serrano in the first superfight in women’s boxing history at Madison Square Garden in April 2022. Shakur Stevenson and Teofimo Lopez hope that decades from now, boxing fans will remember the date of January 31, 2026, as when another NYC boxing classic took place.
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In the main undercard fight on Saturday night, Keyshawn Davis (13-0, 9 KO) will return to the ring and make his debut at 140 pounds in a ten-round bout against Jamaine Ortiz (20-2-1, 10 KO). Davis won a world championship in his last fight, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Now he’s moving up from 135 to 140 pounds and from the theater to the main arena at Madison Square Garden.

It’s been a tough year for Davis since his victory over Denis Berinchyk. Davis had a homecoming title defense scheduled for June in Norfolk, Va., but weighed 4.3 pounds over the 135-pound weight limit. This resulted in Davis being stripped of his world championship. Keyshawn recently revealed that he drank every day during training camp for that fight.

Jamaine Ortiz is a quality test for Davis’ first foray at 140 pounds. A native of Worcester, Mass., Ortiz’s two career losses have come by decision against Vasyl Lomachenko and Teofimo López. Davis will have to be completely focused on Ortiz to emerge victorious.

Also on the Ring VI card, Carlos Adames (24-1-1, 18 KO) will defend his WBC Middleweight Championship against Austin “Ammo” Williams (19-1, 13 KO). Nicknamed “Caballo Bronco”, Adames is the WBC middleweight champion who will return to the ring for the first time since his February 2025 fight against Hamzah Sheeraz, which ended in a draw. Most observers felt that Adames was the rightful winner of the fight. Saturday night will be the fourth time Adames defends his belt. Adames has six wins and a draw since his lone bout against Patrick Teixeira in November 2019, including a 4-0-1 record in the middleweight division.

Austin Williams has worked his way up as a highly touted prospect, and he’s looking to make the most of his first world title opportunity. His only professional loss was to Sheeraz in February 2024. Williams has won three straight matches since that loss. Ammo has a five-inch reach advantage over Adames, which he will need to take advantage of if he hopes to become the new WBC middleweight champion.

The vacant WBC featherweight championship will be on the line when Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (16-0, 9 KO) takes on Carlos Castro (30-3, 14 KO). A Brooklyn native, Carrington is an exciting young fighter with quick hands and a quick mind. Like Keyshawn Davis, Carrington has fought in the theater at MSG before, but will fight in the main arena for the first time on Saturday night. He is fighting for a world championship for the first time in his career. Castro lost his last fight to Stephen Fulton by split decision. His other two losses also came against quality opposition in Luis Nery and Brandon Figueroa. So while Castro is a significant underdog in this fight, he has been in the ring with world-class competition before.

The main card will also feature heavyweights Jarrell Miller (26-1-2, 22 KO) and Kingsley Ibeh (16-2-1, 14 KO) facing off in a ten-rounder. Ziyad Al Maayouf (7-0-1, 1 KO) takes on Kevin Castillo (5-2-1, 0 KO) in an eight-round welterweight bout.
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Madison Square Garden will be electric for Ring VI on Saturday night. Shakur Stevenson and Teofimo Lopez will each come to the ring looking to pick up a career-defining victory over the other decorated young champion. Both hope to silence their critics by making the loudest statement possible at The World’s Most Famous Arena. In the city that never sleeps, the victor will live out their dream of being on top of the boxing world.