Previewing Shakur Stevenson vs. Teofimo Lopez

Two of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world are set to clash Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York as Teofimo Lopez Jr. defends his WBO junior welterweight title against Shakur Stevenson.

The 140-pound tilt will be the first at this weight class for Stevenson, who is attempting to become a four-division champion. This is Lopez's fifth fight at junior welterweight and fourth title defense since beating Josh Taylor for the WBO crown in June 2023.

Saturday's tilt is a big test for the 28-year-old Stevenson. During a DAZN sit-down with Chris Mannix, he explained why he challenged Lopez in a heavier weight class.

"If you look in and around my weight class, I can't get any of the other big fighters to get in the ring, so you gotta go to somebody who is willing to do it, and he was willing to do it," Stevenson said.

A 2016 Olympic silver medalist and one of the best defensive fighters of this generation, Stevenson hasn't gotten the kind of big-ticket fights that Lopez has, but he's a seasoned boxer who's proven to be almost unhittable. His most recent victory was over William Zepeda by unanimous decision last July, while the biggest win of his career came in 2021 when he defeated Jamel Herring for the WBO super featherweight title.

Meanwhile, Lopez has fought the likes of Taylor, George Kambosos Jr., and Vasiliy Lomachenko during a tremendous career that features just one loss in 23 fights. In 2020, he became the first fighter to beat Lomachenko in six years.

Lopez understood the significance of defeating Lomachenko, as the victory launched him into superstardom. He said becoming the first person to defeat the 24-0 Stevenson - using a strategy he expects some people will consider "illegal" - will help cement his legacy as one of the best fighters of this era.

Stevenson doesn't see a win in Lopez's future, however.

"It won't be the type of fight he had against Vasiliy Lomachenko or Josh Taylor. That was the best he could do," Stevenson said in November, according to Manouk Akopyan of The Ring.

"I don't think he can do anything better than that. I am way better than those guys. I didn't see Lomachenko throw punches for six rounds. I would have beaten Lomachenko that night easily too. That's how I feel."

Bettors seem to agree with Stevenson's assessment. He enters as a -350 favorite over the champion Lopez, who is +260 to win, according to theScore Bet.

With both Lopez (No. 10) and Stevenson (No. 7) entering Saturday's bout on ESPN's best pound-for-pound list, this fight should be tightly contested and feature plenty of skill on both sides.

"(This is) the best fighting the best," Stevenson said.