Stevenson is a talented defense-first player. His hand speed and punching accuracy give opponents a lot to worry about. He was slandered as a “Tom and Jerry fighter” by boxer Turki Alalshiki referring to him “running away” from other fighters.
An undefeated three-division world champion who rarely loses in tournaments, Stevenson’s biggest challenge right now in his career is translating his talent into marketing. Stevenson says he is past the point of worrying about whether the promoters and fighters will respect him. “I don’t let that bother me anymore, I just keep moving and training hard. They have no choice but to accept me. And after I win this fight, they have no choice but to accept me and respect me.”
In Stevenson’s last fight on the Ring III card against the relentless William Zepeda, Stevenson showed that he could handle the onslaught of a strong fighter for twelve rounds while still being able to hold his own offense. Stevenson was able to use his trademark defense to avoid or parry most of Zepeda’s punches as he landed his good jabs.
López said of Stevenson, “I’m going to show everyone that his defense is not as innocent as they say. That’s my job, to show the real mistakes that the world can’t see.”
Teofimo López will defend his title in the fight, but will come in as an underdog. López, a cocksure technician, was a specialist in his work. His biggest wins, against Vasyl Lomachenko and Josh Taylor, are more impressive than what Stevenson has on his resume. It was the only two other times López became a bettor in his career.
López can sometimes disappoint fans by appearing to fight at the level of his competition. But, when López is in a big fight, you know he’s going to bring his A-game. The only thing Teofimo did in his career was against George Kambosos. In that fight, López fought, against medical advice, even though he had a tear in his esophagus due to his weight cut. López lost by split-final in a decision that Stevenson said might go his way.
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When Teofimo and Shakur teamed up for commercials and promotional shows, there was a unique energy. Teofimo is magnetic, whether you love him or hate him, and you can be the only one to carry a promotion. Shakur has a calm demeanor that comes with a strong personality and self-belief. The men are mostly kind to each other in the lead up to the fight.
This Ring VI event will be held at Madison Square Garden, the Mecca of boxing. The cards introduced by Ring Magazine last year were held in New York City. The first card under the Ring Magazine banner took place in May in a ring built in the middle of Times Square. The Ring III card was held at Louis Armstrong Stadium, part of the US Open tennis complex in Queens, in July of this past year. Ring Magazine is currently running events in the neighborhoods of New York City, which has done a lot to revive wrestling in the city.
New York City has been home to many memorable fighting moments over the past century. About 70 million people tuned in to their radios when Joe Louis defeated Max Schmeling at Yankee Stadium in 1938. Madison Square Garden hosted The Fight of the Century between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in March 1971. Eighteen days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Bernard Hopkins defeated Felix Trinidad in a traditional middleweight championship. Katie Taylor defeated Amanda Serrano in the first fight in women’s boxing history at Madison Square Garden in April 2022. Shakur Stevenson and Teofimo Lopez were expected to be remembered by boxing fans as January 31, 2026, as another classic NYC fight.
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In the main fight under the card on Saturday night, Keyshawn Davis (13-0, 9 KO) will return to the ring, making his debut at 140 pounds in a ten-round bout against Jamaine Ortiz (20-2-1, 10 KO). Davis won the world championship in his last fight, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Now he has moved from 135 to 140 pounds and from the theater to the main arena in Madison Square Garden.
It’s been a tough year for Davis since beating Denis Berinchyk. Davis had a homecoming defense scheduled in Norfolk, Virginia, in June, but weighed 4.3 pounds over his 135-pound weight. This led to Davis being stripped of his world championship. Keyshawn recently revealed that he has been drinking every day during training for this fight.
Jamaine Ortiz is a good test for Davis’ debut at 140 pounds. Ortiz, a native of Worcester, Massachusetts, has two career losses by decision against Vasyl Lomachenko and Teofimo López. Davis needs to fully focus on Ortiz to come away with the win.
Also on the Ring VI card will be Carlos Adames (24-1-1, 18 KO) defending his WBC middleweight title against Austin “Ammo” Williams (19-1, 13 KO). Adames, nicknamed “Caballo Bronco”, is the WBC middleweight champion who will return to the ring for the first time since his February 2025 fight with Hamzah Sheeraz, which ended in a draw. Most observers thought Adames was the rightful winner of the fight. Saturday night was the fourth time Adames has defended his belt. Adames is six wins and a draw since losing to Patrick Teixeira in November 2019, including 4-0-1 in the middleweight division.
Austin Williams has worked his way up the ranks as a top prospect, and he’s looking to capitalize on his first chance at worlds. His only professional loss was to Sheeraz in February 2024. Williams has won three straight fights since that loss. Ammo has five inches of reach on Adames, which he will need to use if he hopes to become the new WBC middleweight champion.
The WBC featherweight title will be on the line if Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (16-0, 9 KO) wins against Carlos Castro (30-3, 14 KO). Carrington, a native of Brooklyn, was a striking young man with quick hands and wit. Like Keyshawn Davis, Carrington has previously fought in the theater at MSG, but will fight in the main arena for the first time on Saturday night. He is fighting for a world title for the first time in his career. Castro lost his last fight to Stephen Fulton by split decision. His other two losses also came against good opposition to Luis Nery and Brandon Figueroa. Although Castro is an underdog in this fight, he was previously in the ring in world competition.
The main card will also feature heavyweights Jarrell Miller (26-1-2, 22 KO) and Kingsley Ibeh (16-2-1, 14 KO) facing off in a ten round bout. Ziyad Al Maayouf (7-0-1, 1 KO) meets Kevin Castillo (5-2-1, 0 KO) in an eight-round welterweight bout.
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Madison Square Garden will be electrifying Saturday night for Ring VI. Shakur Stevenson and Teofimo Lopez will both be in the ring trying to get a career-defining victory over another decorated young champion. All are hoping to silence their critics by making the loudest statement in The World’s Most Famous Arena. In the city that never sleeps, the winner will win his dream of being on top of the boxing world.