By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The highly-anticipated boxing title fight between Shakur Stevenson and Joe Cordina will no longer push through announced on September 12, 2024.
In a public statement made by Matchroom Boxing, Stevenson, who was supposed to defend his lightweight world title against Cordina, will no longer travel to Saudi Arabia after undergoing an immediate hand surgery.
Moreover, the boxing promotion company added that Stevenson will return to the ring in early 2025, marking the end of his campaign this year.
Hours after Matchroom’s announcement, Stevenson took to social media to share his thoughts about the cancellation of the bout.
“God works in mysterious ways. Through the ups and downs I’m steadily hungry and motivated more than ever. 2025 gonna be my best year yet. Surgery went great it’s a minor setback for a major comeback,” Stevenson posted.
The Stevenson-Cordina fight was supposed to become the co-main event in the upcoming clash between Arthur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, helping the fight card gain more traction especially catering the boxing-savvy crowd in the Middle East.
Stevenson’s arrival in Saudi Arabia was also one of the expected highlights of the fight date, as the young pug is yet to lose in a total of 22 professional fights.
Before accepting the Cordina challenge, Stevenson earned a pair of unanimous decision wins over Artem Harutyunyan and Edwin De Los Santos.
Despite the fall off, fans in the Middle East are still ecstatic to attend the Beterbiev-Bivol matchup, the tagged “Clash of the Year” announced by several boxing media outlets.
