Ryan Garcia makes belated predictions Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevensonbut said he would not be surprised if something unexpected happened.

In the early hours of tomorrow morning, the two American fighters will face off at Madison Square Garden in New York, with Lopez competing for his WBO super lightweight title.

But despite being the defending champion and being naturally tall, “The Taker” was at a disadvantage against WBC lightweight champion Stevenson.

That’s largely because Lopez has been hot and cold in recent years, with many believing he’s lucky to beat Xander Martin and Jamaine Ortiz on points.

But on the other hand, it must be noted that the 28-year-old always appears in the most important situations, so he performed well against Vasily Lomachenko and Josh Taylor in 2020 and 2023 respectively.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether he can create that magic moment against Stevenson, who is expected to become a four-division world champion this weekend.

The crafty southpaw is considered one of the most elite defensive skillsets in the game and rarely allows himself to be targeted by world-class opponents.

For this reason, Garcia seemed to tell battle center tv He expects Stevenson to win, but doesn’t completely rule out the possibility of an upset.

“I would put my money on Shakur, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Teofimo surprises all of us. I think I underestimated Teofimo a little bit.

“I don’t think he can make the necessary adjustments to his style to counter what Shakur does best, but he can definitely prove me wrong.”

Lopez-Stevenson winner could move up to 147 pounds and face Garcia hopes to dethrone WBC world champion Mario Barrios February 21st.