Shakur Stevenson will face Joe Cordina on the artur beterbiev-Dmitry bivol undercard

Written by: Sean Crose

WBC lightweight Shakur Stevenson will face Joe Cordina in the Artur Beterbirev-Dmitry Bivol undisputed light heavyweight title on October 12 in Saudi Arabia. The 22-0 Stevenson last fought in July when he defeated Artem Harutyunyn in his hometown of Newark by unanimous decision. The 17-1 Cordina last appeared in May when he was stopped by Anthony Cacace in 8. The Stevenson-Cordina fight is scheduled for 12. Saudi Arabia's boxing champion, Turki Alalshikh, expressed his delight at having Stevenson fight in his country. Speaking Stevenson on ESPN, Aalshikh said “there is a big fight with him in the future.”

While it's true that Stevenson-Cordina isn't a “big fight,” the 32-year-old Cordina was the world's best fighter to hold the IBF super featherweight title. Indeed, Stevenson will be Crodina's first opponent since the Welshman lost his title to Cacace earlier this year. Stevenson was supposed to face rising star William Zepeda, but it looks like that fight could follow – as long as Stevenson gets past Cordina in the fall. If Cordina pulls off the upset, she will become the toast of the sport. Stevenson, however, is hailed as one of the greatest talents of this era.

Unfortunately for Stevenson, he doesn't always present as the most exciting ring heroes. As Boxing Insider wrote after his last outing: “While 22-0 Stevenson clearly dominated the fight with Harutyunyan, he failed to impress, even if he did damage to his opponent. Stevenson even had to “endure the audience of others in his own audience on his way to victory.” Obviously the fans wanted more.” It's too early to say whether or not Stevenson will impress against Cordina in Saudi Arabia, but the man may not have an exciting ring to him.

The Beterbiev-Bivol fight is one of the most anticipated fights of the year for hardcore fight fans. Both men are undefeated and dominant. Moreover, their battle has been a long time coming. In short, Beterbiev and Bivol highlight the note card, the type of card that draws attention. And there's nothing wrong with getting more attention when your name is Shakur Stevenson — unless that attention comes from beating Cordia. Yet it's hard to imagine a trained professional like Stevenson entering the ring in Riyadh with anything less than 100 prepared.