Oleksandr Usyk is the latest big name to make a prediction for this evening’s Teofimo Lopez vs. Shakur Stevenson battle.
Two of the world’s best fighters collide as Lopez defends his WBO super-lightweight title against Stevenson at Madison Square Garden in New York tonight.
A victory for Lopez would further establish himself as the best 140lb fighter on the planet, while Stevenson can become a four-weight world champion if he is able to secure the win.
Lopez heads into the bout on the back of his successful title defence against Arnold Barboza in May, which saw ‘The Takeover’ return to a similar level of performance he produced during his triumphs over Vasilly Lomachenko and Josh Taylor.
As for Stevenson, his last outing came in July when he defended his WBC lightweight crown against William Zepeda, and after previous world title reigns at featherweight and super-featherweight, he now looks to claim gold in a new division.
This evening’s battle has resulted in many different predictions from the boxing world, and heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk has revealed who he is backing.
Speaking to DAZN, Usyk gave a quick and decisive response when asked for his prediction.
“Shakur.”
A win for Stevenson would catapult him up the pound-for-pound rankings, where Usyk himself sits in the top spot on many people’s lists.
The reigning WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight champion is expected to return to action in the summer, but it’s currently unknown who that could be against after his touted opponent Deontay Wilder instead chose to face Derek Chisora.