That includes fellow unbeaten titleholder and potential opponent Raymond Murtalla, the IBF 135-pound champ. However, if that fight happens, one knowledgeable observer believes it would be a toss-up.

“That one’s gonna be way closer than people think,” said Ryan Garcia, who fought both of them as an amateur. “That’s a real fight. I gotta go to that one. I gotta see it up close.”

Stevenson (25-0, 11 KOs) doesn’t know what a close fight looks like as a pro. Not even Teofimo Lopez could push him in his last bout, which he won by a near-shutout to capture the Ring and WBO 140-pound belts in January.

Muratalla (24-0, 17 KOs) also is coming off of a standout victory, a majority decision over former amateur star Andy Cruz in defense of his title.

Of course, Garcia, the popular WBC welterweight champion, is impressed with Stevenson and Muratalla. He lost close decisions to both of them in the unpaid ranks. Based on that experience and what he's seen of them as professionals, he can't separate them.

“Those are two high-level counterpunchers,” Garcia said. “That’s like a 50-50 fight.”