What Can Dana White Do With Shakur Stevenson?

Dana White made one of the biggest surprise signings in modern boxing history when he announced that Shakur Stevenson had signed for Zuffa Boxing. But he seems to be struggling to find his man a fight that warrants his price tag.

Zuffa Boxing just had debuts for two of their other recently added fighters - Richardson Hitchins and Edgar Berlanga. Hitchins dominated Ricardo Salas on points to make a statement in his welterweight debut, while Berlanga climbed off the canvas to stop Stephen Butler in a dramatic fight.

After the event, White sat at the post-event press conference and basically admitted he wasn't quite sure what to do with Stevenson and didn't have an opponent lined up yet. But he did reassure the media he would be back in the ring before the end of the year.

Dana White is set to enter the boxing space — Dana White | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

"Yeah," White replied to the question on Stevenson's return this year. "If I did [have an opponent], I would have announced it already. I love [Gervonta] 'Tank' Davis. I'm actually a fan and we've talked to them."

Stevenson has not fought since his impressive points victory over Teofimo Lopez to become a four-weight world champion and the WBO super lightweight champion. This victory has catapulted Stevenson into third in the mythical Ring pound-for-pound rankings, below only Naoya Inoue and Oleksandr Usyk.

But it has been almost six months since and Lopez has also signed a new promotional deal and already has his next fight scheduled - a world title challenge against his old friend Rolando Romero. We are yet to see any signs of life from Stevenson and his camp, and it is concerning to see Dana White openly admitting to struggling with matchmaking.

Stevenson and Zuffa need to capitalize on his rising star and continued momentum, and letting him stagnate for almost a year would be a mistake. Whilst there aren't endless options for Stevenson, there are certainly some fights that can keep the ball rolling while he, perhaps, waits on a bigger commercial opportunity to come in 2027.

Shakur Stevenson | IMAGO / Torsten Helmke

Who can Stevenson fight before the end of the year?

It still remains unclear if Stevenson intends to stay in the super lightweight division or make the move up to the welterweight in search of the biggest fights in a division that is seriously heating up with talent. But there are options for him in both camps.

At super lightweight, Stevenson could look for a unification bout against either Dalton Smith, the WBC champion, or Gary Antuanne Russell, the WBA champion, whom he has already expressed an interest in. He could also take on either Isaac 'Pitbull' Cruz or Lamont Roach Jr who are both coming off the back of a draw with one another at 140lbs.

As White mentioned, Gervonta Davis is a fight that both he and Stevenson are interested in making, and it would certainly be a massive fight. Davis has not been seen in a boxing ring for over a year since his controversial draw to Lamont Roach Jr. It seems as though Davis has become disenchanted with his sport while also facing legal troubles that are making him difficult to pin down.

Other than an unlikely Davis matchup, none of these fights will be the commercial boom that either White or Stevenson will be hoping for in his debut with Zuffa. A move to welterweight could well be the best move for Stevenson financially and for his standing as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

It looks, however, like all of the top players at welterweight are otherwise engaged until the end of the year. Therefore, a holdover fight may be the only option for the young champion.

Gervonta Davis vs Lamont Roach Jr | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Who could Stevenson fight in early 2027?

To chase the biggest paydays and the biggest prizes, Stevenson will no doubt make the move to welterweight; it's just a matter of when. Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia and 'Rolly' Romero are all currently locked in to fights, so early 2027 would be the earliest he could likely get access to any of them.

Haney, if he hopes to stay at welterweight, will have to take on his mandatory challenger Keyshawn Davis before he could get involved with Stevenson, but that is no doubt a fight that would excite fight fans.

Ryan Garcia vs Devin Haney | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Garcia is set to defend his WBC strap against Conor Benn on September 12, and Romero will defend his WBA belt against Lopez at the end of August.

All of these potential fights are great options and represent a huge uptick in the talent pool at welterweight, which could be enough to draw Stevenson in to take on some of the biggest names in the sport today.

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