Lopez vs. Stevenson Prediction & Picks: Will Shakur Thwart “The Takeover?” at MSG?

It is only January, but one of the year's most pivotal boxing matches takes place Saturday night as Teofimo Lopez takes on Shakur Stevenson at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Viewers worldwide can catch Lopez vs. Stevenson and the entire fight card for the event billed as The Ring 6 courtesy of DAZN, the home of the biggest bouts in boxing.

The venue is a fitting one for the occasion, as there is a lot at stake for both Lopez and Stevenson. Lopez is the current The Ring and WBO junior welterweight champion and will be putting his belts on the line at MSG. Stevenson, meanwhile, will be making the move up to try to become the latest male four-division champion and maintain his perfect professional record in the process.

In last week's spotlight event on DAZN, Raymond Muratalla upset the odds to defend his IBF lightweight title against Andy Cruz, who entered the fight as a firm favorite but lost via the judge's scorecards.

As was the case for Muratalla vs. Cruz, the champion enters the fight as a clear underdog, as Stevenson has a healthy edge at Lucky Rebel and other top online sportsbooks.

In the leadup to Lopez vs. Stevenson, both fighters have had a lot to say to and about each other. That is par for the course with fights of this caliber, but it only serves to add to the anticipation and excitement for this title tilt.

Will Lopez vs. Stevenson play out the same way as Muratalla vs. Cruz? If you want to keep up with action live, signing up for a DAZN subscription is the way to do so.

Teofimo Lopez vs. Shakur Stevenson Odds

Lopez vs. Stevenson Prediction

Stevenson is looking to become the latest male four-division champion, having already claimed titles at super featherweight, featherweight, and lightweight.

Since defeating Edwin De Los Santos in November 2023, Stevenson has held the WBC lightweight title, and he reportedly plans to continue fighting at 135 instead of making a permanent move to lightweight, at least for the time being.

While Lopez vs. Stevenson will be the latter's first fight at 140, it will be Lopez's seventh. He made the move to light welterweight after losing his four lightweight belts to George Kambosos Jr. at this same venue in November 2021. He is 6-0 at light welterweight with four wins by unanimous decision, one by split decision, and one by TKO (his light welterweight debut vs. Pedro Campa in August 2022).

Will that experience at 140 benefit Lopez against Stevenson? He certainly won't be lacking in confidence about his abilities and his chances, but Stevenson poses a stiffer challenge than the likes of Steve Claggett and Arnold Barbosa Jr.

Being the better boxer and the fight favorite does not always count for much. Just ask Cruz, who didn't deliver on the odds and expectations against Muratalla.

But Stevenson will make his advantage as a fighter count against Lopez and back up the odds and his pre-fight trash talk, as well as the endorsement of the recently retired Terence Crawford.

From a betting standpoint, there aren't many worthwhile options. But if you want to bet on something, Stevenson to win by decision or technical decision is the best option. It's at -225 at Lucky Rebel, so value seekers won't love it. But it should cash for bettors, even if they may have to sweat it out.

Lopez vs. Stevenson Fight Information

• Matchup: Teofimo Lopez (22-1, 18 KOs) vs. Shakur Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs)
• Location and Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York City
• Time: The fight card is set to begin at 6:00 p.m. ET. Ring walks for Lopez vs. Stevenson will not take place before 10:49 p.m. ET

Complete Fight Card for The Ring 6

The card for Lopez vs. Stevenson features five other fights, all of which will air live on DAZN.

• Welterweight: Ziyad Almaayouf vs. Kevin Castillo
• Heavyweight: Jarrell Miller vs. Kingsley Ibeh
• Middleweight: Carlos Adames vs. Austin Williams
• Featherweight: Bruce Carrington vs. Carlos Castro
• Super Lightweight: Keyshawn Davis vs. Jamaine Ortiz
• Super Welterweight (Main Event – Title Bout): Teofimo Lopez vs. Shakur Stevenson

How to Watch The Ring 6

DAZN is the destination to catch the entire Lopez vs. Stevenson card and many other major boxing events.

The first two events of the night (Almayouff vs. Castillo and Miller vs. Ibeh) will be free to watch on the DAZN platform. The other four fights will only be accessible to paid viewers.

To access the remainder of the fight card, you have three potential options: 1) make a one-time pay-per-view purchase for the event ($69.99 in the United States), 2) bundle this event and next month's Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Garcia PPV card, which will cost $109.99 in the United States, or 3) have a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.

For U.S. customers, the DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription is $44.99 a month and comes with access (with no additional fees) to a minimum of a dozen pay-per-view events each year, as well as access to other free and subscription DAZN content.

Along with boxing, a paid DAZN subscription also unlocks access to soccer, golf, rally, and other events internationally.

Viewers can watch all of these events and all other free and subscription DAZN content on their laptop or PC or on mobile via the downloadable DAZN app, which is available for both Apple and Android devices.