Dana White Loses Top Boxing Star Deal as UFC CEO Given Ultimatum Against Shakur Stevenson Signing

“Nobody beat Shakur. I’m saying Shakur beat everybody. It [doesn’t] matter who it is, Shakur beating them. It [doesn’t] matter. Shakur over everybody, that’s how it’s going to be.” Terence Crawford has consistently backed Shakur Stevenson, his former training partner and close friend. But not everyone feels the same, especially Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero, who recently warned UFC boss Dana White about the Newark native.

You see, what happened is, earlier this month, the Cinco de Mayo weekend was filled with promising boxing action. However, it turned out to be an utter disgrace, as the likes of Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, Canelo Alvarez, and William Scull failed to perform, causing many to question the boring state of the sport. Meanwhile, amid all this, Rolando Romero emerged after beating Garcia in a shock upset. 

Since then, he has been advocating against slow and boring fighters, which happens to include WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson. ‘Sugar’ has long been criticized for his overly defensive boxing style, where he mostly avoids engagement, sneaking out points whenever he can. So, with Dana White launching his new boxing league in partnership with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh and the TKO Group in 2026, Romero seems to have warned Dana White about signing Stevenson.

While appearing on the Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru Usman & Henry Cejudo podcast, Romero was asked who Stevenson should fight next. “I don’t think he should fight at all ever again because he just puts the fans to sleep and he’s not doing anything entertaining for the damn sport…,” Romero confidently said. “Kick him out of f**king boxing, bro, cuz he’s horrible.” To make his point, Romero posed a question to the two former UFC champions.

“[Let me] ask you this, you think Dana would put up with Shakur’s s**t?” Romero asked bluntly, leaving Cejudo to look at Usman for an answer. Before Usman could answer, Romero jumped in, stating, “He would be the first one to get kicked out of the UFC. Right or wrong?” To this, Usman explained that the UFC is primarily a promotional company, which thrives only because of the entertainment that comes from electrifying fights.

“[Their boxing league is an] entertainment company, too,” Romero responded. “So he ain’t doing the sport a favor. So, kick him out.” It’s worth noting that Dana White has been critical of boring UFC matchups as well, and openly favors loud and ‘bring-the-fight’ sort of athletes in the promotion. This makes Stevenson’s chances of signing with the new boxing league extremely low, even though Stevenson might not want to because of the lower pay. 

Despite what Romero says about Stevenson, the latter believes otherwise. 

Shakur Stevenson believes he is the best boxer ever

Shakur Stevenson isn’t shy about his place in boxing’s hierarchy. The undefeated WBC lightweight champion boldly claimed, “When it comes to boxing, I am the best fighter in the world,” during an interview with Seconds Out. With names like Terence Crawford, Naoya Inoue, Oleksandr Usyk, and Canelo Alvarez frequently topping pound-for-pound lists, Stevenson believes it’s time his name sits at the summit. 

Back in February in Saudi Arabia, he delivered a dominant performance, stopping previously unbeaten Josh Padley in the ninth round. While Stevenson is known for being a tough self-critic, he couldn’t help but smile after the win. “I did what I was supposed to do,” he said. “I didn’t make things hard on myself.” His surgical dismantling of Padley is the latest statement in a growing resume. 

That said, Dana White might not want a boxer like Shakur Stevenson, or Stevenson might not want to sign with Dana White. However, one thing is clear: Rolando Romero doesn’t have the best image of Stevenson. Do you agree with him?