4 Best Opponents for Shakur Stevenson after Win vs. Teofimo Lopez

Shakur Stevenson had a pretty good 2025.

But he's already on his way to an even better 2026.

The Newark-born stylist crossed the Hudson River and added a title in a fourth weight class on Saturday night in New York City, handling 140-pound claimant Teofimo Lopez while pitching a near shutout in a main-event bout at Madison Square Garden.

He swept the scorecards with matching 119-109—or 11 rounds to one—margins.

The 28-year-old southpaw won his initial belt at featherweight in 2019 and snatched a second at 130 pounds two years later before making it a trio with a successful climb to lightweight in 2023.

He defended twice last year, traveling to Saudi Arabia to blast an overmatched Josh Padley in nine rounds in February before coming back five months later for a 12-round beating of William Zepeda at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens.

Those wins pushed him to seventh on B/R's pound-for-pound at year's end, a spot ahead of Lopez before the fight and in prime position for even bigger things after the win in midtown Manhattan.

B/R's combat team took a look at Stevenson's options for the next go-round and broke them down around who it could and probably will be, who we wish it would be and the choice that'd go a long way toward breaking the internet.

Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought in the app comments.

Who It Could Be: Conor Benn

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Conor Benn punches Chris Eubank Jr. during their fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Stevenson did his part. Now let's make the fight.

He and second-generation British welterweight Conor Benn have been linked to a bout in 2026 thanks to a back-and-forth messaging session in the fall, shortly after Benn avenged an earlier loss against fellow second-generation star Chris Eubank Jr.

Benn told Ring Magazine that he'd reached out to his would-be rival to confirm he was open to the idea and that it could be a reality by springtime.

"I said, 'Listen, if you're really about it, let's do it next.' I don't just do the social media thing for bants," Benn said. "I said we can do that next in April and he said, 'Cool. Let me get Teo out the way, we'll do it in April.'"

Sign us up.

Who It Probably Will Be: Dalton Smith

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Dalton Smith punches Subriel Matias during their championship bout at Barclays Center

A month ago, this one was not on the radar.

But the moment referee Ricky Gonzalez stepped in and deemed Subriel Matias unfit to continue in the fifth round of his WBC 140-pound title defense against Dalton Smith, the unheralded 27-year-old Englishman, who'll turn 28 next week, became a player in the Stevenson sweepstakes.

Smith's shocking arrival came three weeks ago at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and he wasted no time suggesting his new green belt ought to be put up against whoever possessed the WBO strap upon exiting the world's most famous arena.

He said prior to Saturday that he thought Stevenson would win, which means the Sheffield natives' dreams won't be fulfilled until they get together.

"You fight whoever you have got to fight," Smith told Sky Sports. "We will take each fight at a time, but we'll see how far we get. I believe in myself that I would be a world champion; I have done that. Let's see what more we can achieve."

Who are we to stand in the way?

Who We Wish It Would Be: Devin Haney

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Devin Haney throws a punch at Brian Norman Jr. at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

While Stevenson's 2025 was plenty big, Devin Haney's was transformational.

The Vegas-based fighter welcomed the year, hoping to erase the stain of a loss to Ryan Garcia that was ultimately deemed a no-contest after "King Ry" failed a drug test, and he did so in two stages—first in Times Square and then in the Middle East.

Haney's May 2 fight with Jose Carlos Ramirez was successful if not memorable, but he ramped things up six months later upon arrival in Saudi Arabia, where he dropped favorite Brian Norman Jr. early and outclassed him throughout while winning the WBO belt at 147.

Now a champ in three weight classes, Haney quickly climbed several rungs to No. 5 on B/R's year-end pound-for-pound list and made himself a worthwhile target for Stevenson if and when the new champ at 140 wants to pursue his fifth title belt.

Haney's was among the names Stevenson has said he'd climb to engage.

"I still want those guys," Stevenson told ESPN. "I'm clearly not a 147-pounder, but I know there are guys I believe I can beat that fight at 154 pounds. I don't plan on going to 147 pounds or 154 pounds, but I plan on doing what I gotta do at whatever weight class I end up in."

Chasing greatness requires risk.

What Would Break the Internet: Ryan Garcia

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Ryan Garcia

We'll know in three weeks just how much stress the internet can handle.

Ryan Garcia fights Mario Barrios on Feb. 21 in Las Vegas, and, should he emerge with his hand raised, he'd leave T-Mobile Arena with Barrios' WBC welterweight title belt and a new claim to be among the faces of the sport for 2026.

And membership, as they say, has its privileges.

Though a 2024 defeat of Haney was scrubbed and a 2025 trip to Times Square ended in a shockingly unimpressive loss to Rolando Romero, the microphone-friendly slugger still arrived in 2026 with a title shot on the books and a legitimate chance to find himself in one of the year's biggest would-be fights.

That's what it'd be if he swings a deal with Stevenson, with whom he's gone back and forth as recently as a month ago on Ring Magazine's Inside The Ring podcast.

It ended with Garcia asking, "When I put a beating on you, what are you going to say?" And you can count us among those anxious to hear the fight night answer.