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nick parkinson
Teofimo Lopez Jr.must watch clash of shakur stevenson This isn’t the only battle you should be aware of this Saturday. There are many great fights taking place on five boxing cards around the world.
Lopez’s junior welterweight title defense The best battle of the weekend is against Stevenson, a clash that features two of the world’s top players pound for pound boxer Resolve an old rivalry. There are also two junior middleweight title fights and the welcome return to the ring of one of the best in women’s boxing, Dina Thorslund, who made a tough run in 2025. in which she miscarried.
ESPN has selected the eight best contests taking place on fight cards from Newcastle, England to New York.
all possibilities DraftKings Sportsbook.
1. Teofimo Lopez Jr. (+250) vs. Shakur Stevenson (-330) new york
Lopez has produced some of his best performances when he has come up against top-caliber opponents, like vasily lomachenko and in 2020 Josh Taylor in 2023. He’ll have to find that motivation again when he faces Stevenson. But Lopez also has nights off split decision loss More decision wins for George Kambosos Jr. in 2021 against jamaine ortiz And Steve Claggett in 2024.
Lopez will be out to defend his WBO junior welterweight title on Saturday, which will set the tone for the fight. He has the size advantage (Stevenson moving up from lightweight) and has adapted to his opponents’ style in the middle of the fight to earn victories.
Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs) is a skilled, defensive-minded southpaw. If he performs disciplined and avoids getting into a head-to-head debate, he can ensure victory in the decision. If the fight at Madison Square Garden turns into a brawl, Lopez will likely come out on top.
Lopez (22-1, 13 KOs) has called Stevenson “The Roadrunner,” but if Stevenson finds his range early with his reliable jab, his footwork and control at the distance could frustrate the champion. Lopez has struggled with counterpunchers, losing in round 2 against Sandor Martin in a final decision win in 2021.
stevenson shine his lightweight title defense against William Zepeda last July, but he will have to be at his best to defeat Lopez and become a four-division world champion.
Only a few fights will be this big this year.
2. Keyshawn Davis (-600) vs. Jamaine Ortiz (+400) new york
1:12
Keyshawn Davis wins WBO lightweight title with fourth-round TKO
Keyshawn Davis became the new WBO lightweight champion at 135 pounds by winning via TKO in the fourth round.
Davis has shown a brutal attitude in recent battles, Destroying Denis Barinchik In four rounds almost a year ago to win the WBO lightweight title. But can he do the same at 140 pounds?
Davis (13-0, 9 KOs) moves up to junior welterweight to face Ortiz after losing weight in juneDue to which the planned lightweight title defense against Edwin de los Santos was cancelled. After that devastating disappointment, Davis needs to make a statement with the potential for profitable bouts in his new division.
Ortiz (20-2-1, 10 KOs) has competed against elite opponents like lomachenko Lopez, in 2022, and 2024, both lost decisions, and has the ability to compete with Davis’ speed. Ortiz has won his two fights in 2025 and his versatility could land him an upset. Like the Lopez-Stevenson main event, it’s hard to pick a winner with any confidence.
3. Bakhram Murtazaliev (-350) vs. Josh Kelly (+260) | Newcastle, England
Kelly will have the benefit of the enthusiastic support of his home crowd in Newcastle, England when he faces Murtazaliev for his IBF junior middleweight title, but he will have to keep his emotions in check against the Russian power puncher. Kelly is able to box out cleverly, which is all he has to do to avoid meeting Same fate as Tim Tszyu and Jack Kulke, both of whom were ousted by Murtazaliev in 2024.
We haven’t seen much of these lately. Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) did not fight last year, while Kelly spent only two minutes in the ring in a round 1 KO of Flavius Bea in June.
Kelly (17-1-1, 9 KOs) was prevented from facing someone as dangerous as Murtazaliev the last time he suffered a sixth-round TKO loss to David Avanesyan at welterweight in 2021. Kelly has improved since then, but he will have to remain in peak condition to force his way to a decision victory. Many will be attending this hoping to see Murtazaliev KO, but don’t be surprised if Kelly produces an unexpected turn.
4. Carlos Adams (-425) vs. Austin Williams (+300) new york
after earning split draw Adams needs to put in a more solid performance in the second defense of his WBC middleweight world title, facing knockout specialist Hamza Shiraz in February. It took a while for Adams (24-1-1, 18 KOs) to get going against Shiraz, but he was more adventurous and engaged in the second half of the fight. However, his strong performance was not enough to secure the victory, as the judges scored Shiraz 115–114, Adams 118–110 and 114–114.
Shiraz stopped Williams (19-1, 13 KOs) in round 11 in June 2024, but Williams has recorded three wins since then. If the southpaw can find some success on his counter-attacks against Adams, he could make it a close contest.
5. Xander Zayas (-400) vs. Abbas Barou (+295) San Juan, Puerto Rico
1:12
22-year-old Xander Zayas becomes the current youngest world champion
Xander Zayas became the youngest current world champion at the age of 22 after being declared the winner.
While Zayas knows former partner Barau well, this is still a step up in competition from his last fight. Zayas, the WBO junior middleweight champion, takes on WBA champion Barau in a unification bout in the main event.
Zayas dominates Jorge Garcia Winning a unanimous decision in July and winning his first world title at just 22 years old. Zayas (22-0, 13 KOs) showed great footwork and counterpunching to earn scores of 116-112, 118-110 and 119-109.
Zayas’s jab was crucial in establishing authority, and he showed maturity beyond his years as he chose to punch his way to a comfortable victory. It’s a strategy that could work well against Barau (17-1, 9 KOs), who likes to move forward.
6. Adam Azim (-1000) vs. Gustavo Daniel Lemos (+600) London
There has been much talk about a possible fight between Azim and English opponent Dalton Smith, who won the WBC junior welterweight title earlier this month. Smith has to defend his belt against Alberto Puello in the next match, but Azim would like to do something special after this. Smith’s upset victory over Subriel Matias In January.
Azim (14-0, 11 KOs) He patiently destroyed Kurt Scobie In November, scored a round 12 TKO victory. Victory over Lemos (30-2, 20 KOs), who is expected to be faster than his previous fight, would make Azim firmly a contender for the IBF title held by Richardson Hitchins.
7. Bruce Carrington (-900) vs. Carlos Castro (+550) new york
Brooklyn’s “Shoo Shoo” Carrington will look to live up to the hype surrounding his rise when he tries to win his first world title in front of his home crowd at Madison Square Garden against veteran Castro.
Carrington (16-0, 9 KOs) is the heavy favorite to win the vacant WBC featherweight belt, but it’s still worth watching a fighter who is poised to break into the pound-for-pound top 10 over the next few years.
Castro (30-3, 14 KOs) lost a split decision to Stephen Fulton in September 2024 and has not boxed since. That inactivity won’t do Castro any favors, and considering he’s been defeated every time he’s stepped up to face a quality opponent – against Fulton, Luis Nery and Brandon Figueroa – this fight could be a tough matchup for the former title contender.
8. Dina Thorslund vs. Almudena Alvarez Kolding, Denmark
Thorslund (23-0, 9 KOs) did not make an appearance in 2025 after withdrawing from the title unification bout due to pregnancy and relinquishing her WBC and WBO bantamweight belts. The former two-division world champion will face replacement opponent Alvarez (7-3, 2 KOs) for the WBC interim featherweight title, which is expected to be a comfortable victory for Thorslund in his first fight since October 2024.
