Stevenson is an incredibly talented defense-first fighter. His hand speed and precision punching give opponents a lot to worry about. He was infamously labeled as a “Tom and Jerry fighter” by boxing bankroll Turki Alalshiki in reference to him “running away” from other fighters.
An undefeated three-division world champion who rarely loses rounds, the biggest issue Stevenson has faced so far in his career is translating his talent into marketability. Stevenson says he has passed the point of worrying whether fans and fellow fighters respect him. “I don’t let that s*** bother me anymore. I just keep it moving and training hard. They haven’t had any choice but to accept me. And after I win this fight, they ain’t 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 attack of a pressure fighter for twelve rounds while being able to generate his own offense. Stevenson was able to use his trademark defense to evade or parry most of Zepeda’s punches while landing quality combinations of his own.
López has said of Stevenson, “I’m going to show everyone his defense is not as immaculate like they say it is. That’s my job, is to show the true flaws that the world cannot see.”
Teofimo López will defend his championships in the fight, but will come in as the underdog. López, a cocksure technician, has been a mercurial figure during his career. His best wins, against Vasyl Lomachenko and Josh Taylor, are more impressive than any that Stevenson has on his resume. Those were the only two other times that López has been a betting underdog in his career.
López can frustrate fans at times by seemingly fighting to the level of his competition. Still, when López is in a big fight, you know that he will bring his A-game. The only loss Teofimo had in his career was against George Kambosos. In that fight, López, against medical advice, fought despite having a small tear in his esophagus resulting from his weight cut. López lost via split-decision in a decision that Stevenson admitted could have gone his way.
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When Teofimo and Shakur have gotten together for press events and promotional appearances, there has been 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 have mostly been amicable towards one another 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 last year have taken place throughout New York City. The first card under the Ring Magazine banner took place in May inside a ring constructed in the middle of Times Square. The Ring III card took place at Louis Armstrong Stadium, part of the US Open tennis complex in Queens, in July of this past year. Ring Magazine staging these events across the boroughs of New York City has done a great deal to revitalize boxing in the city.
New York City has served as the backdrop to countless memorable moments in boxing in the last 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 outlasted Felix Trinidad in a classic middleweight championship contest. Katie Taylor edged 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 instantly recall the date of January 31, 2026, as when another NYC boxing classic occurred.
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In the chief undercard fight on Saturday night, Keyshawn Davis (13-0, 9 KO) will return to the ring, making his debut at 140 pounds in a ten-round contest 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 is moving up from 135 to 140 pounds and from the theater to the main arena at Madison Square Garden.
It has been a trying year for Davis since he triumphed over Denis Berinchyk. Davis had a homecoming title defense scheduled in Norfolk, Virginia, in June, but weighed in 4.3 pounds over the 135-pound weight limit. It resulted in Davis getting stripped of his world championship. Keyshawn recently revealed that he was drinking every day during the training camp for that fight.
Jamaine Ortiz is a quality test for Davis’s first foray at 140 pounds. Ortiz, a Worcester, Massachusetts native, had his two career losses come via decision against Vasyl Lomachenko and Teofimo López. Davis will need to be completely focused on Ortiz to come out victorious.
Also on the Ring VI card will be Carlos Adames (24-1-1, 18 KO) defending his WBC middleweight championship against Austin “Ammo” Williams (19-1, 13 KO). Adames, nicknamed “Caballo Bronco”, 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 bout. Saturday night will be the fourth time Adames has defended his belt. Adames has six wins and a draw since his lone career defeat to Patrick Teixeira in November 2019, including a 4-0-1 record in the middleweight division.
Austin Williams worked his way up the ranks as a highly regarded prospect, and he is looking to make the most of his first world title opportunity. His lone professional loss was against Sheeraz in February 2024. Williams has won three consecutive bouts since that loss. Ammo has a five-inch reach advantage over Adames, which he will need to utilize 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). Carrington, a Brooklyn native, is an exciting young fighter with quick hands and a quicker wit. Like Keyshawn Davis, Carrington has fought in the theater at MSG before, but will be fighting 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 via split decision. His other two losses also came against quality opposition in Luis Nery and Brandon Figueroa. So while Castro is a sizable underdog in this bout, 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 on Saturday night for Ring VI. Shakur Stevenson and Teofimo Lopez will each come to the ring attempting to earn a career-defining victory over the other decorated young champion. Both hope to silence their critics by making the loudest possible statement 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.
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