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Friday’s weigh-in for Shakur Stevenson’s fight against Teofimo Lopez was marred by brawling
Brian Mahoney Saturday 31 January 2026 23:27 GMT- Bookmark
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Madison Square Garden says anyone fighting at the arena threatens to be “banned for life” after there were multiple altercations at one of its events.
Video on TMZ.com showed two fights breaking out on Friday, when fighters weighed in for the boxing card Saturday night headlined by Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson.
• FOLLOW LIVE: Stevenson challenges Lopez in mouthwatering title fight in NYC
One of the videos showed a brawl starting as Bill Haney, father of boxer Devin Haney, was conducting an interview near the stage.
“Violence will not be condoned at MSG across any type of event including, hockey, basketball, boxing, concerts, or special events,” Madison Square Garden said in a statement.
“If any individual is found to participate in violent activity, whether you are part of the event, or a patron, you will be banned for life and unable to attend or participate in any event across all our venues.”
The press conference on Thursday for the title fight between Lopez and Stevenson became heated, as the fighters on stage traded insults about family members, with people in the audience also shouting.
There was also an altercation near the cage on 15 November when MSG hosted UFC 322.
The warning comes ahead of a busy weekend at the arena. Organisers said the boxing event is sold out, and on Sunday the Los Angeles Lakers visit the Knicks for a nationally televised game that could be LeBron James’s final match at the arena.
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