Teofimo Lopez Signals He’s Ready to Bend the Rules to Beat Shakur

Teofimo Lopez is being direct about how far he is willing to go. Ahead of January 31 against Shakur Stevenson at Madison Square Garden, Lopez is openly signaling that he is ready to push beyond the normal limits of a clean fight to get the result he wants.

“There’s a lot of different ways to do it. And although some may think it’s illegal, it’s still legal,” Lopez said when asked how he plans to deal with Stevenson’s defense. He did not spell out what those methods might be.

What he did spell out is willingness. Lopez is saying he expects this fight to be difficult and that he is prepared to take extra measures if it starts to slip away. He is not talking about style adjustments. He is talking about pressure tactics that test how closely a referee is watching.

The options in that space are not endless. Rabbit punches. Low blows that ride the line. Forearms and elbows on the inside. Small fouls that often go unpunished once a fight becomes tense. Fighters know them. Officials see them. How they are handled depends on the moment.

Stevenson responded after the comments surfaced. “Anything dirty will be reciprocated,” he said. It was not trash talk. He was sending Teofimo a warning that he needs to think twice before taking the fight into the gutter.

Lopez added that he was referring to legal targets and punches above the belt. That doesn’t change what he’s saying. The way he made the comment is a signal that he’s going to use roughhouse tactics and use any measures he can to dig out a win.

There’s a lot of money Teofimo can make in mega fights at 147 in 2026, likely a lot more than what he’s getting for the Shakur bout. He’s not in the same realm as fighters like Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, and Conor Benn at 147. Those fighters bring in the numbers.

Lopez wants this win badly, and he is ready to accept whatever comes with that approach.