Trainer Jose Benavidez Sr. isn’t thinking about playing favourites in the case of the January 31 fight between Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson. To him, this isn’t a puzzle that needs solving. It’s a dead even fight. Fifty fifty. Whoever shows up clear-headed and able to work probably decides it.
Benavidez still believes in Lopez’s physical upside, and he doesn’t hedge when he talks about it. The ability matters. The athleticism still separates him. When Lopez is switched on, he doesn’t need long stretches to take control of a fight. One moment can flip the whole lot, and that form of threat forces opponents to react as a substitute of settling. In that state, Lopez is difficult to administer, even for somebody as disciplined as Stevenson.
The issue is that version of Lopez has not been automatic recently. Some nights he looks sharp and assured, fully engaged from the opening round. Other nights he drifts, trying to find rhythm well into the fight. That swing, greater than any tactical query, hangs over this matchup. The talent is clear. The reliability isn’t.
Stevenson presents a unique form of challenge. Benavidez doesn’t argue with the skill. He calls him “super good” and means it. But admiration only goes to this point. Stevenson’s usual approach leaves him cold. Too careful. An excessive amount of emphasis on staying untouched. It really works, nevertheless it doesn’t excite him, and Jose doesn’t pretend otherwise. Stevenson has been open about not wanting to remain in harm’s way, and Benavidez takes that at face value.
That’s why the fight against William Zepeda caught his attention. Stevenson stayed closer than usual. He exchanged. He accepted pressure as a substitute of immediately escaping it. For once, the control didn’t come on the expense of engagement. Benavidez enjoyed that version of Stevenson since it showed something different, something he rarely sees, even when it runs against Stevenson’s instincts.
When Benavidez talked in regards to the fight on MillCity Boxing, there was no attempt to decorate it up. No fighter walks in with an edge already baked in.
Lopez brings volatility and danger. Stevenson brings structure and caution. In some unspecified time in the future, certainly one of those approaches shall be tested harder than the opposite. The fighter who doesn’t retreat into habit when things get uncomfortable is the one most definitely to return out on top.
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Last Updated on 01/14/2026