Teofimo Lopez has his sights set on his next opponent after Shakur Stevenson

Teofimo Lopez has already plotted his next fight, a shot at three-division world championship status, beyond his upcoming showdown with Shakur Stevenson.

The 28-year-old will defend his WBO super-lightweight title against Stevenson on January 31, headlining a blockbuster Ring Magazine card at Madison Square Garden, New York.

In his last outing, against then-mandatory challenger Arnold Barboza Jr, Lopez produced his best performance since dethroning Josh Taylor around two years earlier.

Back then, ‘The Takeover’ claimed his world title at 140lbs with a clear unanimous decision victory, before making two unspectacular defences against Jamaine Ortiz and Steve Claggett.

But despite his lack of consistency over the years, along with a shock defeat to George Kambosos Jr in 2021, Lopez always brings out his A game for the big occasions.

That much became apparent following his monumental points victory over Vasyl Lomachenko back in 2020, when Lopez cemented himself as the leading champion at 135lbs.

So now, one can only imagine that the Brooklyn man is approaching his fight with Stevenson, a three-weight world champion who holds the WBC lightweight title, with the same level of tenacity.

But while many feel that Stevenson could have his number, Lopez has already named Devin Haney as a potential opponent for when, in his mind, he takes care of business later this month.

Speaking with FightHype around three weeks ago, Lopez insisted that the American is firmly on his radar.

“All the roads lead to a bigger fight between me and Haney.

“It makes sense now, right? It has momentum, right? It’s got motion, right?”

A fight with Haney, who claimed his WBO welterweight crown by outpointing Brian Norman Jr in November, would certainly represent another opportunity where Lopez cannot afford to make many mistakes.