Shakur Stevenson Bulks Up for Teofimo Lopez Showdown

Shakur Stevenson posted a picture of himself lifting weights on social media, trying to build up power for his fight against Teofimo Lopez. The fight that is still officially announced is planned for January 31, 2026. That’s 64 days away.

The weight lifting that Shakur (24-0, 11 KOs) is doing may not be enough for him to develop the power that he’s going to need to hurt Teofimo (22-1, 13 KOs) or at least make him think twice about landing his own shots. Stevenson needs to develop his upper body if he wants to get some pop in his punches.

Some fans on social media don’t believe Stevenson will stand and fight. That’s not his style. He’s a mover who uses the hit-and-not-get-hit style. His last fight against William Zepeda was the first in which Shakur stood in the pocket. It wasn’t technically a fight in the pocket because Stevenson fought with his back against the ropes, covering up while Zepeda shelled him with nonstop punches.

The three-division world champion Stevenson, 28, is making his debut at 140. He doesn’t plan on staying in the division if he successfully dethrones WBO light welterweight champion Lopez. This is a catch-and-release type of situation.

Stevenson is taking a big risk moving up to 140 and facing Teofimo in his first fight in the weight class. Fans believe that Shakur should have taken a tune-up first to get acclimated to the division before fighting Teo. The confidence that Stevenson has gotten from wins over Zepeda and Josh Padley plays a part in why he’s chosen to jump straight into the deep end of the pool.

During the Marathon a lot of of them sprinted fast and was ahead of me but I stayed steady at my own pace, Nowadays the sprinters burnt they self out and I’m still moving with purpose 💨 #4DivisionChampOtw pic.twitter.com/57sRAq5ns6

— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) November 28, 2025