Shakur Stevenson revealed on social media that he has started training to defend his WBC lightweight title against Joe Cordina on October 12, on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Matchroom still needs to make the Stevenson-Cordina fight official.
It is reported that this will be the only fight for Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) who is the WBC lightweight champion to sign with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing in the Cordina fight. Shakur wants to become a free agent in 2025 to make a battle for Gervonta 'Tank' Davis.
Social media reaction to Stevenson's fight with Cordina has been mixed. Most fans don't like the pick but see it as a case of Hearn helping out one of his Matchroom players, Cordina, by giving her a great payday that doesn't compare to Shakur. He wouldn't have gotten there if #13 WBC Cordina had to work for a title shot against Shakur.
Another Rival for Stevenson's Rebound?
Stevenson hasn't set the world on fire since moving up to the 135-lb division in 2023. In Shakur's three fights, he has defeated these guys:
– Artem Harutyunyan
– Edwin De Los Santos: *controversial
– Shuichiro Yoshino
Promoter Eddie Hearn said last week that negotiations have begun for Cordina (17-1, 9 KOs) to face Shakur next. Shakur will allow Hearn to declare war.
If Cordina is indeed the opponent that Shakur is defending against, it will be like his last fight Artem Harutyunyanthere He faced a fighter coming out of a loss. Frank Martin had defeated Harutyunyan in his previous fight before facing Shakur for his WBC title.
Ironically, Shakur is making a name for himself, fighting low-level fighters that come with losses, but this may be the best he can do. His match against Edwin De Los Santos was so bad that he may have been ostracized for good.
“There is a deal for Shakur Stevenson vs. Joe Cordina on October 12 on the Beterbiev-Bivol card in Saudi Arabia,” Julianis told X. “Shakur only signed this fight with Matchroom because he wants to be free in 2025 and negotiate with Gervonta Davis.”
Cordina, 32, has moved up to 135 following the loss of his IBF title to Anthony Cacace via an eighth-round knockout on May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The British fighter, Cordina, did not look good in that loss to Cacace, appearing slower and more battered.
Joe Cordina has struggled in his past two fights against Shavkat Rakhimov and Edward Vazquez. He looked poor in both fights, so it's no surprise that Cacace unseated him.
Battle Date Predictions and Card Placement
There is speculation that Shakur vs. Cordina will be paired with His Excellency's October 12 event, titled Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol in Riyadh. If Shakur defends Cordina next, it could end up on the undercard.
It's not a great fight, but it deserves to be on the Beterbiev-Bivol undercard in the #2 or #3 spot, depending on who else is on the card.
Fans don't understand why Shakur is defending against Cordina while top ranked #2 Raymond Muratalla, #4 Edwin De Los Santos, and #6 Andy Cruz are waiting for a chance to fight for a world title.
Because of their strength and talent, those guys would be major threats to Shakur. Conversely, Cordina is a safe bet for Shakur to keep him winning long enough to face William Zepeda in February.
Hearn is promoting Cordina, and he may have been the one to pick Shakur. If Hearn signs free agent Shakur to his Mathroom Boxing stable, an in-house fight with Cordina would make a lot of sense. It gets the British fans excited and helps Hearn give Cordina a quick title shot for good measure.
1 day of camp today 😈
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) August 19, 2024
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