Dana White Shoots Down Shakur Stevenson-Pacquiao Talk

Dana White says there is no truth to reports that Shakur Stevenson will fight Manny Pacquiao on the Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua card in Cardiff. Asked about the matchup at Saturday's Zuffa Boxing press conference in London, White shut the question down without hesitation: "Yeah, that's not true. Not true. No. I don't know where that came from."

The question stemmed from a report claiming Netflix wanted Pacquiao and Stevenson booked in a double main event alongside Fury and Joshua. Neither fighter had a bout agreement in place at the time White was asked about it, and he did not address whether any version of the fight had been discussed elsewhere. He simply rejected it as it was put to him.

Why White Shut It Down So Fast

The Cardiff card is already carrying enough disputes over who is actually running it. Eddie Hearn has pushed back on White's role in the Fury-Joshua fight, while White maintains he is involved through Turki Alalshikh. An unconfirmed Pacquiao-Stevenson fight floated as a Netflix idea only adds another argument to a promotion that does not need one. White's blunt denial reads as an attempt to keep a reported wish list from turning into an assumed plan.

Would Stevenson-Pacquiao Even Make Sense?

There's a real boxing question underneath the star power. Pacquiao turns 48 in December and returned to the ring in 2025 against Mario Barrios at welterweight. Stevenson is 29 and has been campaigning at light welterweight. Before this fight could be sold as a legitimate contest, someone would have to sort out the weight and explain what beating a 47-year-old Pacquiao actually proves for Stevenson at this point in his career.

There's also a stylistic mismatch worth flagging for anyone thinking about how this would play out. Pacquiao is no longer working at his old pace, and Stevenson has built his reputation on control rather than risk-taking. Put those two together on a card built to set up a heavyweight main event, and it is easy to see twelve cautious rounds instead of the kind of fight that gets an arena on its feet.

Stevenson has more meaningful business at 140 pounds. He has called for a unification fight with Gary Antuanne Russell, and a WBO mandatory obligation is approaching. Either of those tells fans far more about where Stevenson stands in the light welterweight division than a novelty fight with Pacquiao ever could.

Betting Angle

Sportsbooks have nothing to price here because there is no fight. Until Stevenson and Pacquiao actually sign for something, and at an agreed weight, treat every number floated around this matchup as noise. The more bettable markets tied to this Cardiff card remain Fury-Joshua itself, and any lines that eventually open on a real Stevenson fight at 140 pounds against a name like Russell.

For now, White's answer leaves the Pacquiao idea exactly where it started: an unconfirmed proposal, not a booked fight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Shakur Stevenson fighting Manny Pacquiao?

No. Dana White denied reports of a Shakur Stevenson vs. Manny Pacquiao fight on the Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua card, calling the idea untrue and saying no bout agreement exists.

What did Dana White say about the Stevenson-Pacquiao rumor?

At a Zuffa Boxing press conference in London, Dana White rejected the Shakur Stevenson-Manny Pacquiao matchup outright, saying, "That's not true. Not true. No. I don't know where that came from."

What is Shakur Stevenson's next likely fight?

Shakur Stevenson has called for a light welterweight unification fight with Gary Antuanne Russell, and he also has an approaching WBO mandatory obligation at 140 pounds.