Shakur Stevenson isn’t going to fight Manny Pacquiao. Thank goodness. For a few days, there was chatter suggesting the reigning WBO super lightweight champion was going to face the boxing icon on the Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua card . Stevenson signed with Zuffa Boxing and Dana White, the promotion’s head, shot down that concept during a recent presser. Instead, Stevenson seems to be headed for a unification fight with Gary Antuanne Russell. Let’s talk boxing.

Stevenson vs. Russell Key Facts

The rumor had a specific shape. BoxingScene reported Netflix wanted Pacquiao and Stevenson as a double main event alongside Fury and Joshua in Cardiff, and White killed it at the Zuffa Boxing 11 press conference in London with nine words: “That’s not true. I don’t know where that came from.” The same day, Dan Rafael reported Zuffa had contacted PBC with a Russell offer, and Stevenson posted his own callout: “Gary Antuanne Russell let’s unify.”

As great as Pacquiao, 47, has been and as spectacular as Stevenson, 29, is now, that matchup isn’t one that boxing purists want to see. With all due respect, Stevenson would destroy Pacquiao at this point in their careers and we don’t need to see a legend of the sport take that kind of beating from a man 18 years his junior.

If Pacquiao is going to continue fighting, it would be better to see him in the ring with fighters closer to his age, or at least guys who aren’t amongst the elite.

Stevenson-Russell could be a one-sided clash too. It seems unlikely Russell will have the speed to contend with Stevenson. Even still, it’s a logical matchup that would move Stevenson one step closer to becoming an undisputed champion at 140 pounds.

The Road to Undisputed at 140

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