By: Sean Crose
WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson will face Joe Cordina in a fight for the undisputed lightweight title between Artur Beterbirev and Dmitry Bivol on October 12 in Saudi Arabia. Stevenson, 22-0, last fought in July when he defeated Artem Harutyunyn by unanimous decision in his hometown of Newark. Cordina, 17-1, last fought in May when he was knocked out in the eighth round by Anthony Cacace. The Stevenson-Cordina fight is scheduled for the 12th round. Saudi Arabian boxing grandmaster Turki Alalshikh said he was happy to have Stevenson fighting in his home country. About Stevenson ESPN, Alalshikh asserted that “there will be a big battle with him in the future”.
While it’s true that Stevenson-Cordina isn’t a “big fight,” the 32-year-old Cordina is a former world champion who held the IBF super featherweight title. Indeed, Stevenson will be Crodina’s first opponent since the Welshman lost his belt to Cacace earlier this year. Stevenson is expected to face rising star William Zepeda, but it looks like that fight could be next – provided Stevenson gets the better of Cordina in the fall. If Cordina pulls off a shock, he’ll truly be the talk of the sport. Still, Stevenson is widely regarded as one of the great talents of our time.
Unfortunately for Stevenson, he hasn’t always shown himself to be the most exciting fighter in the ring. Boxing Insider wrote after his last outing: “While the 22-0 Stevenson clearly dominated the fight against Harutyunyan, he failed to generate excitement, even as he clearly inflicted damage on his opponent.” Stevenson even “had to endure boos from some of his home crowd en route to victory. The fans clearly wanted more.” It’s too early to tell whether Stevenson will impress when he faces Cordina in Saudi Arabia, but the man may simply not possess the same exciting presence in the ring.
The Beterbiev-Bivol fight is one of the most anticipated fights of the year for diehard fight fans. Both men are undefeated and dominant. What’s more, their fight has been a long time coming. In short, Beterbiev and Bivol headline a notable card, the kind of card that attracts attention. And there’s nothing wrong with getting more attention if your name is Shakur Stevenson—unless that attention comes from getting beaten by Cordia. Still, it’s hard to imagine a disciplined professional like Stevenson stepping into the ring in Riyadh without being one hundred percent prepared.
