Shakur Stevenson has to cancel his WBC title defense against Joe Cordina due to a hand injury and will not fight again until 2025.
Lightweight world champion Shakur Stevenson will not defend his WBC title as planned at “Riyadh Season” in Saudi Arabia on October 12. As Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed on Wednesday in Las Vegas, Stevenson suffered a tendon injury to his hand which required immediate surgery.
Hand injury forces Shakur Stevenson to cancel
Shakur Stevenson, who has an impressive record of 22 wins without defeat, was due to defend his WBC title against Joe Cordina in Riyadh. But an injury threw a spanner in the works. “He sent me a photo of his hand last night after sparring,” Hearn explained at an event at the MGM Grand. “He tore a tendon and had to have surgery immediately.”
The cancellation is a serious setback for the 27-year-old American, who was originally due to fight at the “Riyadh Season” in Saudi Arabia. There, his fight against Cordina was planned as a co-fight for the eagerly awaited duel between light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
WBC champ will not return until 2025 at the earliest
Shakur Stevenson will have to take several months off after the operation. According to Eddie Hearn, the 27-year-old does not expect to make his comeback until early 2025 at the earliest. “He’s very disappointed that he won’t be able to compete in Riyadh,” Hearn continued. “But he has to recover from his injury. Once that’s done, he’ll be back in training and back in the ring next year.”
For Stevenson, who recently signed a contract with Matchroom Boxing, the fight against Cordina would have been the first of two planned fights under the new promoter. The second fight was scheduled to take place against WBC mandatory challenger William Zepeda. It remains to be seen how the injury will affect the long-term plans.
No replacement for the planned duel with Joe Cordina
Cordina, a former IBF world super-featherweight champion, was due to fight at lightweight for the first time in this bout. The Welshman lost his last fight against Anthony Cacace by knockout in the eighth round. It remains to be seen whether the fight between Stevenson and Cordina will be made up for. However, there is no replacement for this fight for the event in Saudi Arabia, as Turki Alalshikh, the man responsible for the “Riyadh Season”, confirmed. Despite the cancellation, the event remains well attended, emphasized Alalshikh.
Future prospects for Shakur Stevenson
With an unblemished record of 22 wins and 10 knockouts, Stevenson is regarded as one of the most promising boxers of his generation. In his last fight, he defeated Artem Harutyunyan unanimously on points. Now his career has been interrupted for the time being by an injury. The boxing world is eagerly awaiting his comeback and whether he can build on his previous performances.
Text: Andreas Ohlberger