Buddy McGirt Backs Shakur Stevenson to Beat Teofimo Lopez

Trainer Buddy McGirt is backing Shakur Stevenson to defeat Teofimo Lopez later this month, expressing strong confidence in Stevenson’s ability to handle the light welterweight division..

The upcoming fight with Teofimo Lopez has pulled attention back to Stevenson in a way that feels familiar. Not because of hype, but because of expectation. The kind that settles around a fighter when people start asking how far the skill really goes.

Why McGirt Thinks the Weight Will Not Matter

McGirt did not hesitate when asked who he favors.

“Shakur definitely,” he told Sean Zittel. “Because he’s the best at that weight. No one is going to beat him at that weight. He can go up to 147 and win a title. That’s how good he is.”

That is not praise built on potential. It is based on pattern. McGirt has seen too many fighters to confuse speed with control or flash with command. What he sees in Stevenson is a fighter who dictates tempo without looking like he is trying to. That kind of command tends to carry upward when weight classes change.

The move to 140 is not small. It brings different bodies, different rhythms, and less margin for error. But McGirt’s point is that Stevenson does not rely on size or force to begin with. He relies on distance, timing, and awareness. Those tend to age well.

Why Lopez Is a Different Kind of Test

Teofimo Lopez is not a soft opponent and McGirt does not treat him like one. He respects what Lopez can do when momentum is on his side. The power is real. The confidence is real. But the style is direct in a way that can become predictable.

“I love Teofimo,” McGirt said. “I picked him to beat Lomachenko. I just think Shakur is on another level. He has a style that, to appreciate it, you have to really understand boxing. He’s calm. He’s relaxed. He can take control whenever he wants to.”

That is not dismissal. It is assessment. Lopez has always thrived when he can impose himself early. Against someone who gives him space, who refuses to rush exchanges, that approach becomes harder to sustain.

Stevenson does not chase moments. He waits for them. That difference matters over twelve rounds.

Where This Leaves the Division

The light welterweight picture is crowded, and not forgiving. Fighters like Gary Antuanne Russell, Richardson Hitchins, and others represent different problems, not easier ones. But this particular fight is about whether control can outweigh aggression.

McGirt believes it can.

There is no claim here that Stevenson will dominate the division or rewrite its order overnight. Only that his style travels well, and that when he is settled, he forces opponents to fight on terms they did not choose.

That has ended plenty of nights quietly before.