Frank Warren gives reaction to Shakur Stevenson leaving Zuffa Boxing without a fight

Shakur Stevenson, who requested his release from Dana White's promotion, has said he now plans to defend his WBO super-lightweight title before moving up to welterweight.

Frank Warren has said that when a promoter's relationship with a fighter is not working, there is little point forcing it, after Shakur Stevenson walked away from Dana White's Zuffa Boxing without having a single fight for the promotion.

Stevenson, a multi-weight world champion, asked to be released, and Zuffa will no longer promote him. The American had previously said he would be happy to face Zuffa's British signing Conor Benn at welterweight. He was then in talks to fight WBO welterweight champion Devin Haney, but those discussions appear to have broken down, and Stevenson has grown frustrated at sitting on the sidelines instead of pursuing a world title in a fifth weight class.

Warren told iFL TV that relationships between promoters and fighters are not always smooth, and that this is simply part of the business. He said that over the years he had worked with fighters he enjoyed working with and others he did not, that some fighters had not liked working with him, and that there were times a promoter regrets a deal.

The British promoter has been in the sport for more than 40 years, working with Mike Tyson, Ricky Hatton and Tyson Fury, and has had more than one dispute with his own fighters in that time.

White, the UFC boss, set up Zuffa Boxing to sign fighters and stage his own shows, with Benn and Jai Opetaia among those he has brought in.

Stevenson has said his plan is to defend his WBO super-lightweight title and move up to welterweight in the future.

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