Teofimo Says Sparring To Mimic Shakur Will Be Simple Work

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

Find a Shakur lookalike

Lopez mentions that they will need to stand their ground sometimes because Stevenson did that in the William Zepeda fight. WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo (22-1, 13 KOs) actually faced a somewhat similar fighter to Stevenson in February 2024, when he defended against him. Jamin Ortiz—Use He would be perfect as a sparring partner, because he does everything Shakur does.

Looking back on that fight, Jamaine showed power, speed, combination punches and mobility. Ortiz’s physical ability was more advanced than what we saw from Shakur, but he was not sound defensively. Part of the reason for this is that Jamin was taking a risk.

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

Teo explains his game plan

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

Lopez must find a fighter who uses the back step that Shakur uses. It’s very common. What Stevenson does that is difficult to imitate is that he tilts his head back to avoid being hit, and then fires again. He is an excellent striker. When he has the reach advantage, he’s hard to get to because he stands out there and hits all night.

“Sparring partners are just there to help you find your range and distance, and find your comfort zone of what you should be doing in different moments of the fight,” Teofimo said. “But nobody looks like Shakur Stevenson, and that makes the fight even more exciting.”