Lopez to Defend WBO Title vs. Stevenson on Jan. 31

Teofimo Lopez will defend his WBO junior welterweight title against Shakur Stevenson on January 31 at Madison Square Garden in New York, promoters announced this week, setting the stage for a high-stakes clash between two undefeated champions from the New York area.

Lopez, a 28-year-old Brooklyn native with a record of 22-1 and 13 knockouts, captured the lineal and WBO belts at 140 pounds with a majority decision over Josh Taylor in June 2023. He has since made three successful defenses, outpointing Steve Claggett in June 2024, Jamaine Ortiz in February 2024 and Arnold Barboza Jr. in October 2024. Stevenson, also 28 and hailing from nearby Newark, New Jersey, enters at 24-0 with 11 knockouts as the WBC lightweight champion. An Olympic silver medalist in 2016, he has held titles in three weight classes, winning the vacant WBC strap at 135 pounds by outpointing Edwin De Los Santos in November 2023. His recent defenses include a unanimous decision over Artem Harutyunyan in July 2024, a late stoppage of Josh Padley in September 2024 and a wide unanimous decision against William Zepeda in October 2024.

The bout, streaming live on DAZN, marks Stevenson's move up to 140 pounds and pits...