Malik Scott: “Teofimo Still Has a Lot to Prove vs Shakur”

Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson meet at Madison Square Garden with Malik Scott pointing squarely at Stevenson’s jab as the detail that could tilt a tight fight on Saturday night.

The WBO and Ring Magazine super lightweight belts are on the line, streamed on DAZN pay per view, yet the discussion around this fight has narrowed rather than widened. Both men operate at a high technical level. Neither relies on chaos. That pushes attention toward small habits and repeatable actions, the kind that decide rounds when neither fighter fades.

Scott’s breakdown does not wander. He talks about one punch, when it lands, and why it keeps landing.

Scott’s case for Stevenson’s control

“Shakur has one of the best jabs in the business in my opinion, especially from a southpaw standpoint,” Scott said on Inside The Ring. He explained it as a timing issue rather than volume. “As fighters have this rocking back and forth before their offense, Shakur always catches it and hits you with the jab.”

Scott tied that to Stevenson’s sense of space. “He has a great measure of distance and he has great timing,” he said. Then he drew a straight line to the consequence. “This is something Teo has to avoid.”

The point is not that Stevenson throws more jabs. It is that he throws them at moments when opponents are preparing to punch. That freezes feet, breaks rhythm, and forces resets. Against a fighter who likes to explode in bursts, those interruptions add up.

Scott’s warning for Lopez’s lead hand

When Scott turned to Lopez, the tone sharpened. He went back to footage from Lopez’s fight with Jamaine Ortiz, another southpaw, and focused on hand position.

“When Teo was going against Ortiz, he was fighting a southpaw with the lead hand down, that’s a tragedy,” Scott said.

He explained why. “You’re closer to the opponent’s lead hand and don’t forget Shakur has a very good jab.” Scott made the link explicit. “Teo with his lead hand down is open to the jab.”

His advice was practical, not philosophical. “I highly recommend that he approaches Shakur going into offense with his lead hand up,” he said.

That adjustment sounds minor. It is not. Against a southpaw who scores early and often with the jab, a low lead hand means giving away range and tempo. Keeping it high changes how Lopez steps in, how he slips, and how long he stays in range.

Scott did not predict a winner. He laid out a problem and a possible answer. If Lopez corrects the habit, the fight tightens further. If he does not, Stevenson’s jab could dictate rounds quietly and steadily, the way judges tend to notice late.

“Shakur has more to lose.. Teo has more to gain.”

Max Kellerman shares his thoughts on Teofimo vs Shakur 🥊 pic.twitter.com/QjKb1WsySl

— InsideRingShow (@InsideRingShow) December 1, 2025

Event details

• Fight: Teofimo Lopez vs Shakur Stevenson
• Event: The Ring 6
• Date: Saturday, 31 January 2026
• Location: New York, USA
• Venue: MSG
• Broadcast: DAZN (worldwide, exclusive)

Start time (local):

• USA ET: 8:00 PM

• UK time: 1:00 AM (Sunday, 1 February)