Teofimo Lopez Jr.’s must-see fight. with Shakur Stevenson is not the only fight this Saturday that you should know about. There are many great fights taking place on five boxing cards around the world.

Lopez’s junior welterweight title defense against Stevenson is the best fight of the weekend. A fight between two of the world’s top pound-for-pound boxers settles a fierce rivalry. We also have two junior middleweight title fights ahead of us and the welcome return to the ring of Dina Thorslund, one of the best in women’s boxing, who survived a hard 2025 in which she had a miscarriage.

ESPN picks eight of the best contests on fight cards from Newcastle, England to Modern York.

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1. Teofimo Lopez Jr. (+250) vs. Shakur Stevenson (-330) | Modern York

Lopez has produced some of his best performances when facing top-class opponents such as Vasily Lomachenko in 2020 and Josh Taylor in 2023. He will need to find that inspiration again when he faces Stevenson. However, Lopez also had off nights, like during his split decision loss to George Kambosos Jr. in 2021 and decision victories over Jamain Ortiz and Steve Claggett in 2024.

Which Lopez shows up on Saturday to defend his WBO junior welterweight title will determine the outcome of the fight. He has a size advantage (Stevenson is moving up from lightweight) and has adapted to his opponents’ style mid-fight to secure victories.

Stevenson (24-0, 11 KO) is a talented, defensive striker. He can secure a decision victory if he delivers a disciplined performance and avoids getting drawn into direct exchanges. Lopez likely would have won if the fight had turned into a brawl at Madison Square Garden.

Lopez (22-1, 13 KO) called Stevenson a “Roadrunner,” but if Stevenson finds range early on with a reliable jab, his footwork and distance control could leave the champion frustrated. Lopez struggled with counterattacks, falling in the second round against Sandor Martin and ultimately winning a decision in 2021.

Stevenson shined last July in his lightweight title defense against William Zepeda, but he will need to deliver the best performance of his career to date to defeat Lopez and become a four-division world champion.

Few fights this year will be as substantial as this one.

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2. Keyshawn Davis (-600) vs. Jamaine Ortiz (+400) | Modern York

Davis has shown a ruthless streak in his last fights, destroying Denys Berinchyk in four rounds to win the WBO lightweight title almost a year ago. But can he do the same at 140 pounds?

Davis (13-0, 9 KO) moves up to junior welterweight to face Ortiz after missing weight in June, which resulted in the cancellation of his planned lightweight title defense against Edwin De Los Santos. After this devastating disappointment, Davis must make a statement about the possibility of lucrative fights in his recent division.

Ortiz (20-2-1, 10 KO) has competed against elite opponents such as Lomachenko in 2022 and Lopez in 2024, both of which he lost by decision, and has the potential to compete with Davis’ speed. Ortiz has won his two fights in 2025, and his versatility could make him an upset. Much like the Lopez-Stevenson main event, it’s difficult to pick a winner with any certainty.

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3. Bakhram Murtazaliev (-350) vs. Josh Kelly (+260) | Newcastle, England

Kelly will benefit from the fiery support of his home crowd in Newcastle, England, when he faces Murtazaliev for the IBF junior middleweight title, but he must keep his emotions in check against the Russian power puncher. Kelly can box smartly and that’s what he’ll need to do to avoid the same fate as Tim Tszyu and Jack Culcay, both of whom were knocked out by Murtazaliev in 2024.

We haven’t seen much of either of them lately. Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KO) didn’t fight last year, and Kelly spent only two minutes in the ring in June’s first-round KO defeat of Flavius ​​Biea.

Kelly (17-1-1, 9 KO) was stopped the last time he faced someone as hazardous as Murtazaliev, a sixth-round TKO loss to welterweight David Avanesyan in 2021. Kelly has improved since then, but he needs to be in great shape to get through to a decision and win. Many will watch this match expecting a knockout of Murtazaliev, but don’t be surprised if Kelly brings an unexpected twist.

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4. Carlos Adames (-425) vs. Austin Williams (+300) | Modern York

After drawing with knockout specialist Hamzah Sheeraz in February, Adames needs to be more convincing in his second defense of the WBC middleweight world title. Adames (24-1-1, 18 KO) took some time to get going with Sheeraz, but he was braver and busier in the second half of the fight. However, his powerful finish wasn’t enough to secure the victory as the judges scored it 115-114 for Sheeraz, 118-110 for Adames and 114-114.

Sheeraz stopped Williams (19-1, 13 KO) in the 11th round in June 2024, but Williams has since recorded three victories. If the southpaw is successful in counter-attacking Adames, it could be a close fight.

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5. Xander Zayas (-400) vs. Abass Baraou (+295) | San Juan, Puerto Rico

While Zayas knows Baraou’s former sparring partner well, this is still a step up in competition compared to his last fight. In the unification fight, Zayas, the WBO junior middleweight champion, will face Baraou, the WBA champion.

Zayas dominated Jorge Garcia in July, winning a unanimous decision to capture his first world title at just 22 years ancient. Zayas (22-0, 13 KO) showed great footwork and counterattacks, scoring 116-112, 118-110 and 119-109.

Zayas’ punching was crucial to establishing power, and he showed maturity beyond his years by choosing to box and securing a comfortable victory. It’s a strategy that could serve him well against Baraou (17-1, 9 KO), who likes to march forward.

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6. Adam Azim (-1000) vs. Gustavo Daniel Lemos (+600) | London

There has been much talk about Azim potentially fighting English rival Dalton Smith, who won the WBC junior welterweight title earlier this month. Smith will next have to defend his belt against Alberto Puello, but Azim will still be looking to create something special after Smith’s upset win over Subriel Matias in January.

Azim (14-0, 11 KO) was recognized when he patiently demolished Kurt Scoby in November, earning a TKO victory in the 12th round. A victory over Lemos (30-2, 20 KO), which was expected to come sooner than his last fight, would make Azim a powerful contender for a shot at the IBF title held by Richardson Hitchins.

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7. Bruce Carrington (-900) vs. Carlos Castro (+550) | Modern York

Brooklyn’s “Shu Shu” Carrington will try to justify the hype around his career as he tries to win his first world title in front of a home crowd at Madison Square Garden against the experienced Castro.

Carrington (16-0, 9 KO) is the scorching favorite to win the vacant WBC featherweight belt, but it’s still worth keeping an eye out for a fighter destined to break into the top 10 pound-for-pound rankings over the next few years.

Castro (30-3, 14 KO) lost a split decision to Stephen Fulton in September 2024 and has not boxed since. This inaction won’t do Castro any favors, and considering he’s been beaten every time he’s faced a quality opponent – against Fulton, Luis Nery and Brandon Figueroa – this fight could be a tough matchup for the former title challenger.

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8. Dina Thorslund vs. Almudena Alvarez | Kolding, Denmark

Thorslund (23-0, 9 KO) did not appear once in 2025, after she withdrew from the title unification fight due to pregnancy and renounced the WBC and WBO bantamweight belts. The former two-division world champion will face replacement opponent Alvarez (7-3, 2 KO) for the interim WBC featherweight title. Thorslund is expected to be a comfortable winner in his first fight since October 2024.