Shakur Stevenson Kicks Off Training Camp, Declaration of War Is Near

Admin August 19, 2024

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Shakur Stevenson Kicks Off Training Camp, Declaration of War Is Near

Shakur Stevenson revealed on social media that he has started training to defend his WBC lightweight title.

Another Rival for Stevenson’s Rebound?

Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) is not keeping quiet about who the opponent will be, but it is believed to be the former IBF super middleweight champion. Joe Cordina. Promoter Eddie Hearn said last week that negotiations have begun for Cordina (17-1, 9 KOs) to face Shakur next. Shakur will let Hearn announce the fight.

If it really is Cordina that Shakur is defending against, it will be like his last fight Artem Harutyunyanwhere he faced the fighter who came out missing. Frank Martin had defeated Harutyunyan in his previous fight before facing Shakur for his WBC title.

Ironically, Shakur is making a name for himself, fighting low-level fighters that come with losses, but this may be the best he can do. His match against Edwin De Los Santos was so bad that he may have been ostracized for good.

Cordina, 32, has moved up to 135 following the loss of his IBF title to Anthony Cacace via an eighth-round knockout on May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The British fighter, Cordina, did not look good in that loss to Cacace, appearing slower and more battered.

Joe Cordina has struggled in his past two fights against Shavkat Rakhimov and Edward Vazquez. He looked poor in both fights, so it’s no surprise that Cacace unseated him.

Battle Date Predictions and Card Placement

There is speculation that Shakur vs. Cordina will be paired with His Excellency’s October 12 event, titled Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol in Riyadh. If Shakur defends Cordina next, it could end up on the undercard.

It’s not a great fight, but it deserves to be on the Beterbiev-Bivol undercard in the #2 or #3 spot, depending on who else is on the card.

Fans don’t understand why Shakur is defending against Cordina while top ranked #2 Raymond Muratalla, #4 Edwin De Los Santos, and #6 Andy Cruz are waiting for a chance to fight for a world title.

Because of their strength and talent, those guys would be major threats to Shakur. Conversely, Cordina is a safe bet for Shakur to keep him winning long enough to face William Zepeda in February.

Hearn is promoting Cordina, and he may have been the one to pick Shakur. If Hearn signs free agent Shakur to his Mathroom Boxing stable, an in-house fight with Cordina would make a lot of sense. It gets the British fans excited and helps Hearn give Cordina a quick title shot for a good pick.