Last week, it was reported that Manny Pacquiao and Shakur Stevenson were close to inking a deal to fight as the co-main event on the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua bill in Cardiff.
The fight would be Pacquiao’s first since a draw with then-WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios, and would replace his postponed rematch with Floyd Mayweather.
Fan response to the match-up was negative given the age gap and the fact that Stevenson is considered one of the very best active fighters in boxing today. Many will be thankful, then, to hear that it will not be taking place.
At last night’s Zuffa Boxing 11 post-fight press conference, Stevenson’s promoter Dana White said that it had in fact never been on the table.
“That’s not true. I don’t know where that came from.”
Around the same time, Dan Rafael reported that an offer has now been sent to WBA super-lightweight champion Gary Antaune Russell for a unification bout against WBO champion Stevenson.
Per source, @Zuffa_Boxing has now contacted PBC to make an offer for @AntuanneRussell to unify with @ShakurStevenson. #boxing https://t.co/KT9fCq8vKv
— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) September 26, 2026
Russell beat José Valenzuela by unanimous decision in March 2025 to capture the belt and has made one defence against Andy Hiraoka since – another points win.
Stevenson – who put on a boxing masterclass against Teofimo Lopez in January to win his title – followed up the offer with a personal message to Russell.
Gary Antuanne Russell let’s unify ☎️ ☎️☎️
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) September 26, 2026
Whether or not the fight is still targeted for the December 11 bill in Cardiff is unknown, particularly becuase the entire Fury-Joshua event has recently been thrown into doubt.
As for Pacquiao, whether or not he fights again this year – as was the plan when the Mayweather rematch collapsed – remains to be seen.
