Teofimo Lopez Hesitates on Shakur Stevenson Struggle Amid ‘Glass Arms’ Fears, Eyes Pacquiao Conflict As an alternative

Shakur Stevenson’s hand issues makes him a dangerous combat for Teofimo Lopez to lock into now for January 2026. Lopez is occupied with presumably preventing Manny Pacquiao in December if his bout with Shakur doesn’t pan out.

Mr. Glass Strikes Once more

WBO mild welterweight champion Teofimo (22-1, 13 KOs) is understandably apprehensive about committing himself to a combat towards Stevenson, solely to have him pull out with a hand damage like he did for his October 12, 2024 scheduled combat towards Joe Cordina. Shakur suffered a proper hand damage, inflicting him to drag out on September 11.

“Subsequent large combat that we’re talking on there’s two particularly. If one doesn’t undergo, we now have one other combat happening. So December thirteenth is presumably [against] Manny Pacquiao. After which Shakur Stevenson in January of 2026,” stated Teofimo Lopez on Tales Untold.

Teofimo has already been made to attend for the combat towards Shakur because of the Newark, New Jersey native needing time to permit his palms to heal.

If Teo had it his manner, he can be preventing Shakur earlier than the tip of 2025. He can’t try this due to Stevenson’s fragile palms needing time to heal from his final combat towards William Zepeda final summer season on July 12.

There’s no manner of understanding for certain if Shakur will make it via camp with out having one other hand breakdown. It wouldn’t be as a lot of an enormous deal for Lopez if he have been in his early 20s with time to burn, and never making the thousands and thousands that he’s now.

Olly Campbell’s Analyst Perspective: Teofimo Can’t Wait Ceaselessly

‘The Takeover- Teofimo is simply too helpful of a fighter to speculate six to eight months of his profession, ready on a injury-prone ‘Mr. Glass’ Shakur to heal. What makes it much more nerve-wracking is coping with the unknown. You simply don’t know if Stevenson will make it to the combat in January 2026 with out struggling one other bodily breakdown together with his palms.

The safer guess for Teo is to scrub his palms of Shakur, surrender on him as a misplaced trigger on account of his glass palms, and deal with extra dependable fighters. The combat towards Pacquiao on Deccember thirteenth can be the proper one for him. If not him, a unification conflict towards IBF 140-lb champion Richardson Hitchins if he doesn’t worth himself out once more.

Since 2014, Olly Campbell has introduced readers clear ringside perspective and a gradual voice on boxing’s greatest nights.