For the last few days, the boxing world has been witnessing a brutal back-and-forth between Shakur Stevenson and Teofimo Lopez on social media. The duo recently made a sensational comeback to the squared circle, with both delivering solid performances. On one hand, Teo won with flying colors on the same card where Ryan Garcia lost and Devin Haney faced extreme scrutiny. Conversely, the WBC lightweight champion had his best-ever outing against William Zepeda to shut down his critics.

Following the events, the WBO super lightweight champion challenged both Haney and Stevenson before eventually backing out. It erupted a heated feud between the two champions on X, which reached a boiling point when the Brooklyn native posted a grainy, old video of himself sparring with Shakur Stevenson.

The grainy footage showed a sluggish “Sugar” struggling against the 22-1 fighter, with Lopez appearing dominant in the brief clip. “What Did I Miss @ShakurStevenson@Turki_alalshikh,” Lopez declared in the post that a future showdown will reflect this performance. Shakur Stevenson shot back, asserting that the video misrepresented the truth entirely.

The Newark native quoted the video and wrote, “This his best highlights from it 😂😂😂,” alleging that Lopez only put out his best highlights from that sparring session, before challenging ‘The Takeover’ to upload the full video. Well, if what Shakur Stevenson is claiming is true, it won’t be a bit surprising.

Teofimo Lopez has a reputation for posting provocative content to rile up or unsettle his rivals, pushing them to lose their cool. Yet, “Sugar” has impressively handled the barrage of sharp jabs from the Brooklyn-born fighter with composure. At the best phase of his career, he does not need such tactics. Currently, he’s setting his sights on the top names in the lightweight division, and to add insult to injury for Teo, Lopez isn’t even on his radar.

Shakur Stevenson’s hit list

Recently, the Newark native appeared on an episode of Nightcap with Unc & Ocho alongside NFL stars Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson. During the interview, Sharpe prompted the WBC champion to call out his desired opponent. Still experiencing the high from his victory over William Zepeda, Shakur Stevenson didn’t hold back.

The first two names, Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach, were obvious. After all, the 27-year-old has expressed his desire to face either of them for a while now. However, the third name on Sugar’s list was a bit surprising. Rather than the likes of Haney, Garcia, or even Teofimo Lopez, he picked rising star Andy Cruz.

“I’ll take Tank, Lamont. I like Andy Cruz,” he said. Stevenson has often hailed Cruz as the only lightweight with a ring IQ close to his. However, to think that he would pick someone who made his debut just 2 years ago and has only 6 fights under his belt over Teo is rather shocking. “I am a competitor. So I like best fights…most competitive fights. I think those three are the most competitive guys,” he concluded, justifying his selections.

The possibility of a Lopez vs. Stevenson showdown remains very much alive. With the Brooklyn native ruffling feathers left and right, it’s only a matter of time before he crosses paths with someone in the upper hierarchy, potentially throwing everything off course. In that scenario, he risks losing everything. What’s your take on this?