Dana White Confirms He Spent Hours Working on Shakur Stevenson's Next Fight
Dana White says he spent a couple hours on October 6 working on Shakur Stevenson's return bout, but opponent and date remain uncertain.
Dana White confirmed that booking Shakur Stevenson's next fight is actively consuming his time, telling media at the Contender Series press conference on October 6 that he spent a significant chunk of his day on it.
"Yeah, we're working on the Shakur fight right now," White said, per Boxing News 24. "Literally today, a couple hours of my day today was spent on Shakur."
White declined to name a specific opponent but the negotiations are proving complicated. Multiple fighters have been discussed as potential matchups, with Gary Antuanne Russell, Raymond Muratalla, and Devin Haney among the names floated in recent weeks. The primary obstacle, per the report, is money. Both Russell and Muratalla have reportedly demanded $3 million each to face Stevenson.
A potential Haney bout adds another wrinkle. Haney has offered to fight at 145 pounds without rehydration restrictions, while Stevenson wants 144 pounds with a 10-pound post-weigh-in limit. Neither side has budged on the weight terms.
White previously indicated Stevenson would return before the end of 2026, but he did not reaffirm that timeline during his October 6 comments. No venue or card has been announced.
Stevenson is one of the most technically gifted boxers in the sport and Zuffa Boxing's biggest signing to date. Getting him back in the ring with a credible opponent at the right price has become the promotion's most important task outside of the Fury vs. Joshua event.
This is the reality of Zuffa Boxing right now. Dana White can sell fights, build arenas, and generate more press than any promoter alive, but booking a legitimate opponent for Shakur Stevenson at a price both sides accept is a different game. Boxing negotiations have been broken for decades and White is finding that out in real time.
Russell and Muratalla wanting $3 million to fight Stevenson tells you everything. They know Shakur is elite and they are pricing in the risk. Can Zuffa pay it? Probably. Will they? That is the question.
The Haney fight is the one that makes sense for the sport, but the weight negotiations sound like a mess. One pound and a rehydration clause should not be the thing that kills the best fight in lightweight boxing. Get in a room, split the difference, and make it happen. Fans do not care about the difference between 144 and 145 pounds. They care about watching two of the best boxers on the planet go at it.
https://www.boxingnews24.com/2026/10/dana-white-spends-hours-working-on-shakur-stevenson-fight/
