Shakur Stevenson has confirmed his next opponent after the collapse of a Saudi Arabian debut next month.
The upcoming lightweight fight between Stevenson and Joe Cordina has been canceled as the American skillster suffered a hand injury during training.
Stevenson confirmed the injury in a statement sent Wednesday to World Boxing News.
“I am definitely disappointed that I won’t be able to fight on October 12,” he said. “I have been super sharp and feeling great in camp, and was planning to put on a show next month against Joe Cordina.”
Stevenson has already undergone surgery, with Dr. Ky Kobayashi from the Surgical Center of the Rockies in Colorado Springs saying they anticipate the fighter “to make a full recovery” after a successful procedure.
The fighter finished: “I have to listen to the doctors and have these injuries fixed immediately so that I can come back stronger than ever.”
The Stevenson vs Cordina fight sat atop the pay-per-view portion of an event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The headline bout that night, between light heavyweight champions Artur Beterbiev and Dmitri Bivol, remains off PPV.
It is unclear where Cordina goes from here, but in a statement Matchroom posted on social media, the company said it expected Stevenson “to return to the ring in early 2025.”
A statement from Stevenson’s representatives Goldsticker Public Relations means the opponent for his comeback would be emerging lightweight rival William Zepeda, rather than Cordina.
“He will be able to resume training in six to eight weeks” after the surgery, the statement read. “And [he] will be healed and ready to face William Zepeda in February.”
Stevenson and Zepeda have been linked with one another all year, with Golden Boy Promotions boss Oscar De La Hoya, and partner Bernard Hopkins, both telling World Boxing News at the start of 2024 that they are keen to make that fight a reality.
“If anyone can give Shakur trouble,” De La Hoya told us, “It’s William Zepeda.”
The fight is yet to be made, and if it were to come together in the coming months, the Mexican will have to emerge unscathed from his November 16 tussle with Tevin Farmer on a Latino-themed event Golden Boy has taken to Saudi Arabia as part of Riyadh Season.
Alan Dawson is World Boxing News Lead Writer, a 2 x Sports Journalist of the Year finalist, and 5 x BWAA awards winner. Follow Alan @AlanDawsonSport.
