Trainer Buddy McGirt is convinced that Shakur Stevenson has the “style” to defeat Teofimo Lopez in their potential East Coast clash in 2026.
Stevenson’s Risk in New York
McGirt doesn’t say what Shakur (24-0, 11 KOs) has going for him that will enable him to defeat WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo (22-1, 13 KOs). This fight could end badly for Shakur, as Lopez has a lot of offensive artillery that he’s going to be unloading on him in this encounter.
McGirt states that Shakur will have to stand his ground and fight because the contest will likely be staged in New York at Madison Square Garden. Fighting the way he did against William Zepeda could get Shakur knocked out. He was arguably dropped by a right hand from Zepeda in the third round of their fight on July 12, 2025, in Queens, New York.
Lopez Holds Size and Power Edge
- Physical size
- Superior puncher
- Pressure
- Experience against elite-level opposition
Stevenson collapsed into the ropes, which held him up. The referee failed to score it as a knockout, but it was clear from watching it that Shakur was knocked down. The replays confirmed this. If a non-puncher like Zepeda could do that against Stevenson, just imagine what a power puncher like Lopez will do.
Turki Alalshikh’s Lifeline for Shakur
Stevensons is a low-output potshot fighter with the outdated Mayweather fighting style. He’s like a hybrid version of that style, but more of a runner, which is why he hasn’t become popular.
Fans’ tastes have changed. They want to see action fighters. If not for Turki Alalahikh, Shakur likely would have drifted off into anonymity after he chose to part ways with Top Rank when his contract ended. Turki has given Shakur a platform by including him on the undercards in two of his Riyadh Season events against beatable opposition, William Zepeda and Josh Padley.
Assuming the fight gets made, Shakur will freeze his WBC lightweight belt and move up to 140 to challenge Teofimo for his WBO title. This will be a one-off for Stevenson, as he intends to return to 135 to defend against super featherweight Lamont Roach next.
McGirt Confident in Shakur’s Style
“With Shakur, they say, ‘Styles make fights.’ I think Shakur’s style will give him trouble. To me, I don’t think Shakur has shown the world his best,” said trainer Buddy McGirt to MillCity Boxing, giving his thoughts on Teofimo Lopez vs. Shakur Stevenson.
At 28, what is Shakur waiting for? If he hasn’t shown his “best” at this point, when is that going to be? I don’t think McGirt understands that this is as good as it gets with Stevenson. He’s already shown the type of fighter he’s going to be, and he’s not going to transform into an entertaining fighter suddenly.
At lightweight, Shakur isn’t the same fighter he was when he had a size advantage over his opposition, fighting at 126 and 130. Now that he’s fighting at 135, he looks average, and he’s only been able to keep things together due to the matchmaking by his promoters.
They’ve spoonfed Stevenson against bottom-tier fighters: Josh Padley, Artem Harutyunyan, Shuichiro Yoshino, Edwin De Los Santos, and William Zepeda
We saw how eager Shakur was to fight Zepeda. You know why? Because he had a perfect style for him, being that he’s not a puncher. The fighters that Shakur isn’t pushing to fight are guys with power, like these:
- Andy Cruz
- Jadier Herrera
- Abdullah Mason
- Raymond Muratalla
- Floyd Schofield
“He does just enough to win, but in a fight like that,” said Buddy about Stevenson. “I think Shakur will step up to the plate and get it on. They’re going to have to because they’re fighting in front of their hometowns.”
Stevenson is going to have to do a lot more on offense than he did in his last fight against William Zepeda if he wants to defeat Lopez. He did very little in that fight and was outworked and outlanded by Zepeda.
The judges seemed to overlook what Zepeda was doing on offense, focusing on the potshots from Shakur. It appeared that the judges scored the fight like it was an amateur contest rather than a professional one, choosing to focus on punches to the head.
Teofimo has got that potshot style down pat, as he’s been fighting that way his entire nine-year career since he first turned pro in 2016. His superior punching power is going to put Stevenson at an extreme disadvantage because he won’t be able to match him in that area.
Running Strategy May Backfire Badly
The only recourse Shakur will have is to run like he did against Edwin De Los Santos and try to limit the number of shots Lopez hits him with. It’ll be a boring fight, but Shakur doesn’t have much choice. He’ll have to mimic the style his idol, Terence Crawford, used to defeat Canelo Alvarez.
Will Stevenson Embrace Villain Role?
If Stevenson can fight that way, he has a chance. The downside is he’ll be booed out of whatever venue the contest is staged it. I guess he won’t mind because he’s already adopted the villain persona. So, he can play the heel from start to finish.
Last Updated on 09/25/2025
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