# Shakur Stevenson leaves Dana White's Zuffa Boxing without a fight, 100 days after signing

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/mma/shakur-stevenson-leaves-dana-whites-zuffa-boxing-without-a-fight-100-days-after)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable Editorial
Published: 20 Oct 2026
Updated: 20 Oct 2026
Retrieved: 21 Oct 2026

> The unbeaten WBO 140-pound champion asked for his release and is starting his own promotion. Eddie Hearn calls it an embarrassment for Zuffa.

**Shakur Stevenson has left Zuffa Boxing, the boxing promotion run by UFC chief executive Dana White, without having a single fight for it.** The unbeaten WBO light welterweight champion (25-0) said on his YouTube channel on Monday 19 October that he had asked to be released and that the request was granted over the weekend, [MMA Fighting reported](https://www.mmafighting.com/boxing/516658/shakur-stevenson-secures-release-from-zuffa-boxing-without-having-fought-for-promotion). He is now a free agent and says he is starting his own promotional company.

## Barely 100 days

Zuffa announced Stevenson as a marquee, multi-fight signing in **July 2026**; the terms were never disclosed. He has not fought since **January 2026**, when he beat Teofimo Lopez on a unanimous decision to win the 140-pound title, his belt in a fourth weight class after featherweight, super featherweight and lightweight.

Stevenson, 29, said he had been in camp "for, like, eight weeks preparing for fights that I was told was going to happen", and that they did not happen. "I'm not mad at anyone, I'm not pointing no fingers," he said, adding that he is willing to work with other promoters "that's willing to be serious about my career".

## What he wants next

- Defend his WBO title at **140 pounds** and take the biggest fights at 135 or 140
- Move up to **147 pounds** (welterweight) "maybe a year or two" from now, "on my time"
- Run his own promotion and co-promote with whoever offers the fights

## Hearn: "Embarrassment"

Matchroom's Eddie Hearn, who has feuded with White all year, mocked the split in an interview with iFL TV, MMA Fighting [reported](https://www.mmafighting.com/boxing/516720/eddie-hearn-rips-dana-white-over-shakur-stevenson-situation-awful-disaster-monstrosity-embarrassment). "How can you sign your most high-profile fighter, and then he leaves you without even fighting? I don't think, in the history of boxing, that has ever happened," Hearn said. He pointed out that Zuffa has not staged a show in the United States since July, and that Devin Haney chose DAZN instead. Hearn predicted Stevenson "will probably do the same thing".

It is another setback for White's boxing venture after **Conor Benn**, one of its headline signings, was beaten by Ryan Garcia in September.

## Why it matters for fans here

For fight fans in Pakistan, who mostly follow White's world through the UFC, the split is a sign of how hard the switch to boxing has been for the company. The UFC side is busy: **UFC 333** in Abu Dhabi, with Merab Dvalishvili vs Petr Yan 3, is on our [UFC 333 Pakistan time page](/news/mma/ufc-333-in-pakistan-time-dvalishvili-vs-yan-3-and-volkanovski-vs-evloev-in-abu), and every card in PKT is on the [UFC schedule in Pakistan time](/news/mma/ufc-schedule-pakistan-time).

## Frequently asked questions

**Why did Shakur Stevenson leave Zuffa Boxing?**

He said he spent about eight weeks in camp for fights he was told would happen and did not, so he asked for his release, which was granted in October 2026.

## Sources

- Shakur Stevenson secures release from Zuffa Boxing without having fought for promotion (19 Oct 2026) (MMA Fighting): https://www.mmafighting.com/boxing/516658/shakur-stevenson-secures-release-from-zuffa-boxing-without-having-fought-for-promotion
- Eddie Hearn rips Dana White over Shakur Stevenson situation (20 Oct 2026) (MMA Fighting): https://www.mmafighting.com/boxing/516720/eddie-hearn-rips-dana-white-over-shakur-stevenson-situation-awful-disaster-monstrosity-embarrassment

How to cite: "Shakur Stevenson leaves Dana White's Zuffa Boxing without a fight, 100 days after signing", Searchable, 20 Oct 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/mma/shakur-stevenson-leaves-dana-whites-zuffa-boxing-without-a-fight-100-days-after