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Stevenson's Claims: Did Zepeda & Lopez Wins Boost His Record?
25 Aug
Summary
- Stevenson defeated Zepeda in July 2025, though Zepeda later won the WBC lightweight title.
- Lopez, a three-division champion, lost his WBO belt to Stevenson in January 2026.
- Stevenson cannot claim ownership of championships won by Zepeda and Lopez.
In July 2025, Shakur Stevenson faced Jose Zepeda for the WBC interim lightweight title, a bout Stevenson won decisively. However, Zepeda later went on to capture the full WBC lightweight championship by defeating Lamont Roach Jr. This victory marked Zepeda's first undisputed world title.
Meanwhile, Teofimo Lopez, a prominent figure with victories over Vasiliy Lomachenko and Josh Taylor, surrendered his WBO 140-pound belt to Stevenson in January 2026. Lopez recently became a three-division champion by defeating Rolando Romero.
While Stevenson's victories over Zepeda and Lopez confirm they compete at a championship level, he cannot claim partial ownership of the titles they subsequently won. Stevenson's wins are valuable as they were against strong opposition, but the WBC title officially belongs to Zepeda, and Lopez secured his WBA belt separately.
