WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson and former IBF 130-lb champion Joe Cordina are in talks for a fight. Cordina (17-1, 9 KOs) will make his debut at 135 for this fight, which has yet to be made.
Hearn Confirms Early-Stage Discussions
Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed the early discussions for the Stevens-Cordina fight, but nothing has been agreed to yet. He says Cordina, 32, is interested in the fight, and Shakur is already excited about it.
Stevenson revealed that his original plans to defend against #1 WBC William Zepeda had been delayed. Zepeda wants to take the fight against him in February. That’s when His Excellency Turki Alalshikh is expected to put on Terence Crawford’s next fight.
It’s a brave move by Cordina to go up in weight and immediately face what some boxing fans believe is the #2 fighter in the lightweight division in Shakur.
Cordina isn’t the type that backs away from risk, so he’s willing to take this challenge. If he’s victorious over Shakur, it could lead to a bigger fight against the king of the division, Gervonta Davis. That would be a massive fight.
This fight for Shakur allows him to get his second title defense of his WBC title before facing William Zepeda in February. For a contest that dangerous, Shakur must stay sharp.
Cordina was knocked out in the eighth round by Anthony Cacace last May, losing his IBF Super featherweight title in that fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It’s believed that Cordina was weight drained for that fight, and wasn’t at full strength.
He should have moved up before that when it was clear that he’d been having a hard time making weight, but the money was likely too good for him to pass up.
Hearns didn’t say whether he’s signing the free agent Shakur to his Matchroom company, but it appears to be heading in that direction.
