Hall of Famer Tim Bradley named Shakur Stevenson (25-0) as the best fighter in the world, placing him ahead of undisputed champions Oleksandr Usyk and Naoya Inoue.
Bradley acknowledged that while Stevenson lacks the accomplishment of his peers, his defensive skills makes him the sport’s best. Bradley’s assessment follows Stevenson’s victory on January 31, 2026, against Teofimo Lopez to capture the WBO junior welterweight title. The unanimous decision victory, 119-109, 119-109 and 119-109, was so wide that Shakur made a two-weight world champion look ordinary in his first fight at 140, having moved up from 135. The win also made Shakur a four-division world champion. While Shakur has yet to become undisputed, Bradley felt Stevenson’s ability to hit and not get hit made him the best.
“Shakur Stevenson is the best fighter in the world. He ain’t got the accolades of an Usyk, in terms of undisputed and all of that, he ain’t done all of that that Inoue did in the lower weight classes. No, he ain’t done none of that, but he is a four-division world champion, and he is the best fighter in the world. He gets touched the least out of any fighter in the world. He’s the best fighter in the world. Period,” Bradley said