Shakur Stevenson Withdraws from October Fight due to Injury

WBC lightweight champ Shakur Stevenson has withdrawn from his October 12 fight against Joe Cordina of Wales because of an injury. The much-anticipated fight scheduled for Riyadh—Saudi Arabia would have been Stevenson’s second time defending his newly earned lightweight title after defeating Artem Harutyunyan in July.

This was considered to be the most exciting and aggressive fight between these two boxers. Although, fans are willing to hear more about Shakur’s hand injury. let’s dive into the story to learn about his hand injury and his expected comeback in the forthcoming year.

Shakur Stevenson Suffers a Hand Injury

The three-division world champion American boxer announced via his social media accounts that he had a hand issue that made him pull out of the fight. The injury setback arrives at a time when Shakur Stevenson, who is only 27 years old, joined the stable of Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing in August in what was a lucrative promotional contract. His hand surgery now put aside what was anticipated to be another statement victory in his prospect through the lightweight division.

Cordina Ready for the New Ambitious Lightweight Step

For Joe Cordina, the fight represented an opportunity to step up to the lightweight division after losing his IBF super-featherweight title to Anthony Cacace in May. Although, that was his first-ever loss. Cordina was very eager to have a comeback, he considered a fight with Shakur Stevenson could be worth it. He is regarded as one of the pound-for-pound boxers in the current boxing world.

Cordina’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, had also praised Stevenson as a ‘pound-for-pound great’ before announcing the latter’s injury. Cordina’s eagerness to face Stevenson shows his determination to make a mark in the lightweight division, especially after recent setbacks.

A Star-Studded Undercard

The Shakur Stevenson vs Cordina fight was to be featured on a night that already featured a fight between the two top Russian light heavyweights, Beterbiev and Bivol for the undisputed title. The event, which is planned to take place in Riyadh, will still include other big bouts. Raven Chapman who is an undefeated British fighter will fight with WBC featherweight champion Skye Nicholson and on the other side Jack Massey will fight with an Australian IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia.

Also, fans can look forward to the rematch of the split-decision draw in March between British heavyweights Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke. Also on the card, Chris Eubank Jr will fight in a middleweight bout against Kamil Szeremeta, and talented young light-heavyweight, Ben Whittaker, who is yet to be defeated in his career, will take on Liam Cameron.