Beterbiev vs. Bivol Undercard Setback: Shakur Stevenson Withdraws Due to Injury

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 12, Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) will clash with fellow undefeated light heavyweight pugilist Dmitry Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) for the undisputed crown in a stacked Riyadh Season event. This fight is undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated bouts in the boxing world. The undercard is impressive and one of those contests was due to be Shakur Stevenson vs. Joe Cordina for the WBC lightweight title. It has now been revealed that Stevenson has suffered an injury to his right hand, requiring him to have surgery and be ruled out of the bout.

Shakur Stevenson Sufferes Injury and Ruled Out of October 12 Fight Against Joe Cordina

Reaction to Shakur Stevenson Injury

The injury ruling Stevenson out is a bitter blow for the recent Matchroom recruit, with Eddie Hearn confirming the news: “He sent a pic of his hand last night after a session of sparring I believe. Tore a tendon in his knuckle and had to have immediate surgery.”

The Matchroom promoter continued: “So, unfortunately, he’s out of the Joe Cordina fight on Oct. 12 and won’t return until early 2025.” The fight was set to be the co-feature on the Riyadh Season card headlined by Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev for the highly anticipated undisputed light heavyweight title.

Stevenson has also released a statement on his injury and subsequent surgery: “I am definitely disappointed that I won’t be able to fight on Oct. 12,” Stevenson said in a statement. “I have been super sharp and feeling great in camp and was planning to put on a show next month against Joe Cordina. But I have to listen to the doctor and have these injuries fixed immediately so that I can come back stronger than ever at the start of 2025.”

Following the news of the injury suffered by Shakur, Turki Alalshikh confirmed to Fight Freaks Unite that the Stevenson-Cordina fight, will not be replaced on the card.

What’s Next for Stevenson?

The southpaw from Newark recently joined Matchroom on a two-fight deal, with the second bout set to be against WBC mandatory challenger William Zepeda. Due to the surgery and the predicted recovery times, it now appears that we won’t see Shakur until 2025, but will the first fight of the deal be against Zepeda with a possible mega-fight against Tank Davis after? Despite the injury setback, only big fights appear to be coming in 2025 for Stevenson.