Teofimo Lopez defeated Rolly Romero to win the WBA welterweight title on Saturday and now Shakur Stevenson has shared his reaction.

Lopez appeared to be in control for the majority of the bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, though the scorecards had it much closer than people expected, with ‘The Takeover’ only getting the nod by majority decision after scores of 114-114, 115-113 and 116-112.

Romero did have a successful fifth round where he was able to rock Lopezbut other than that he failed to get any real foothold in the fight, as he lost his WBA crown and Lopez claimed world honours in a third division after previous reigns at 135lbs and 140lbs.

It was back in January when his time as WBO super-lightweight champion came to an end, suffering a one-sided unanimous decision defeat to the aforementioned Stevenson at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Stevenson has now posted on social media with his verdict on the win from ‘The Takeover’, praising his former rival for becoming world champion in his first bout at 147lbs.

“Yea Teofimo 3 division champ that’s 🔥”

Stevenson also paid tribute to Romero, saying he had ‘respect’ for the former champion for taking on anyone.

“Respect to Rolly a champion who will fight anybody Respect champ!!!”

Respect to Rolly a champion who will fight anybody Respect champ!!!

— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) August 23, 2026

Lopez now may look towards potential unification fights at 147lbs following his victory, with the winner of next month’s WBC title fight between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn a possible option, along with battles against WBO champion Devin Haney or IBF champion Liam Paro.

Zab Judah has made a bold prediction ahead of tonight’s world title battle between Rolly Romero and Teofimo Lopez.

Romero defends his WBA welterweight title against Lopez at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this evening, competing for the first time since his unanimous decision victory over Ryan Garcia in May 2025.

Lopez is attempting to become a three-division world champion after previously holding world honours at lightweight and super-lightweight, but his reign at 140lbs came to an end in January when he lost his WBO crown to Shakur Stevenson.

One man who knows what it is like to be world champion at both 140lbs and 147lbs is Judah, who notably became undisputed at welterweight back in 2005.

Speaking to MillCity BoxingJudah revealed that he is backing Romero to claim the upset victory tonight and successfully defend his belt against Lopez.

“In the past when we’ve seen Rolly in preparation for a fight, he was always on the internet saying crazy s**t, doing crazy things, this time we don’t see any of that. He’s locked in, he’s training, and I predict that Rolly Romero is going to beat Teofimo Lopez.

“From what I’ve been hearing about him in training, he’s been doing good and knocking people out.”

The winner of tonight’s bout has already been linked to a unification fight against the victor of the upcoming WBC welterweight title fight between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn, while there are also possible match-ups with WBO champion Devin Haney or IBF champion Liam Paro.

LIVE COVERAGE

World Boxing News provides live results and updates from George Liddard’s European middleweight title clash with Dario Morello at the Copper Box Arena in London.

The undefeated Liddard faces the biggest test of his career against experienced Italian Morello, with the vacant European middleweight championship on the line.

Three other vacant titles will be decided on the card as Jimmy Sains, Emmanuel Buttigieg and Tiah Mai Ayton attempt to take the next step in their careers.

Live Scorecard –George Liddard vs. Dario Morello

Live Results

Times are local BST

19:45

Tiah Mai Ayton won the vacant Commonwealth featherweight title in a solid display against Ellie Hellewell. The Hellewell corner called off the fight after six completed rounds as Ayton made it seven straight wins as a pro and pushed towards world honors.

18:52

Connor Mitchell gets four useful rounds under his belt with a 39-37 points victory over Caine Singh.

Singh made him work for it, but the all-action Mitchell did enough to get his hand raised.

18:16

Louie Ward moved to 3-0 with a dominant performance, stopping Jon Martinez in the third round.

Ward was in control throughout before forcing the finish to secure another impressive victory.

17:42

Ioan Croft dropped Tomas Reynoso early on before seeing out a sixth round victory. The referee waved the fight off with just over a minute left of the round.

17:10

Harley Burrows opened the show with a first round stoppage of Carlos Ronner. Burrows pinned Ronner on the ropes and waded in until the referee halted the contest.

TV Coverage and Remaining Bouts

United Kingdom: DAZN

• George Liddard vs. Dario Morello – Vacant European Middleweight Title (12)
• Jimmy Sains vs. Tom Cowling – Vacant Commonwealth Middleweight Title (12)
• Emmanuel Buttigieg vs. P A Gordon – Vacant English Middleweight Title (10)

Preview

Liddard enters his first European title fight with a perfect 14-0 record as the 24-year-old attempts to continue his rapid rise through the middleweight division.

Morello brings considerably more experience at 26-1 and arrives in London undefeated since 2019.

The event takes place at the Copper Box Arena in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing promoting the card.

About the Author

Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.

Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.