Dana White wants no part of the talk about Shakur Stevenson fighting Manny Pacquiao on the Tyson Fury versus Anthony Joshua card. When a reporter raised the proposed matchup at Saturday’s Zuffa Boxing press conference in London, White cut it off immediately.
“Yeah, that’s not true. Not true. No. I don’t know where that came from.”
The question followed a BoxingScene report that Netflix wanted Pacquiao and Shakur in a double main event alongside Fury and Joshua in Cardiff. Neither boxer had received a bout agreement at the time. White did not explain if talks had taken place elsewhere; he rejected the proposed fight as it was presented to him.
Cardiff already has enough people arguing over who controls the promotion. Eddie Hearn disputes White’s role in the Fury–Joshua event, while White insists he is involved through Turki Alalshikh. Adding an unconfirmed fight involving a Zuffa boxer only gives that dispute another direction to run. White’s short answer made clear that he was not going to let a reported Netflix wish list become Zuffa’s announced plan.
There is also a boxing question beneath the famous names. Pacquiao turns 48 in December and fought Mario Barrios at welterweight in his 2025 return. Shakur is 29 and has been fighting at light welterweight. Before anyone could sell the pairing as a major sporting contest, they would need to settle the weight and explain what a win over Pacquiao at this stage would establish for Shakur.
The fight might attract a huge Netflix audience. It could also give viewers twelve cautious rounds before the heavyweight main event. Pacquiao no longer fights at his old pace, and Shakur rarely takes risks just to entertain a crowd. That is a poor fit for a bout meant to lift the room before Fury and Joshua.
Shakur has a more useful direction at 140 pounds. He has called for a unification with Gary Antuanne Russell, and his WBO mandatory obligation is approaching. Those fights would tell us far more about his place in the division. White’s denial leaves the Pacquiao idea where it belongs: an unconfirmed proposal, not Shakur’s next fight.
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