Teofimo Says Finding Shakur-Style Sparring Will Be “Easy Work”

Teofimo Lopez says it’ll be easy for him to find sparring partners who can mimic Shakur Stevenson’s fighting style. He views it as a case of bringing in fighters who “move around” a lot.

Finding Shakur Lookalikes

Lopez mentions that they’ll need to occasionally stand their ground because Stevenson did that in the William Zepeda fight. WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo (22-1, 13 KOs) has already fought a somewhat similar fighter to Stevenson in February 2024, when he defended against Jamaine Ortiz—using him as the sparring partner would be ideal, as he does everything Shakur does.

In looking at that fight, Jamaine showed power, speed, combination punching, and mobility. Ortiz’s physical ability was more advanced than what we’ve seen from Shakur, but he wasn’t as defensively sound. Part of the reason for that was that Jamaine was taking risks.

Teofimo defends against Shakur at Ring 6 on January 31, 2026, at Madison Square Garden in New York. The event will be streamed on DAZN.

Teo Explains His Game Plan

“All you need really is a guy that is going to move around. And somebody that is going to stay in the pocket because we saw that with William Zepeda,” said Teofimo Lopez to the media when asked if it would be difficult to find a sparring partner that could prepare him for Shakur Stevenson’s fighting style.

Lopez must find a fighter who uses the step-back that Shakur utilizes. It’s very common. What Stevenson does that is hard to mimic is that he leans his head back to avoid getting hit, then fires back. He’s an excellent counter-puncher. When he has the reach advantage, he’s difficult to reach because he stands on the outside and jabs all night.

“Sparring partners are just there to get you in the range and distance, finding that that comfort zone of what to do in different moments of the fight,” said Teofimo. “But no one is like Shakur Stevenson, and that’s what makes the fight even more exciting.”