Joe Cordina has a real chance of upsetting WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson if he can land his powerful right hand in their chief support fight on October 12th in Riyadh.
Shakur’s Timidity Hints at a Glass Jaw
Many fans overlook the threat former IBF super featherweight champion Cordina (17-1, 9 KOs) presents to a fighter like Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs), who is hiding glass in his chin.
Shakur wouldn’t fight scared like he does if he hadn’t had bad experiences getting hurt during his amateur career and in sparring sessions. When someone fights as timidly as Shakur, it’s a red flag that they don’t possess a good chin and have adjusted their fighting style to protect it.
Shakur has a lot of rabbit in him for a reason. He’s clearly been hurt by huge shots before, and he will do everything he can to keep it from happening again. There were rumors of Liam Paro hurting Shakur in sparring, which would make sense because the Aussie can punch.
The worrisome thing about Cordina, 32, is he hasn’t knocked anyone out in two years since his one-punch second-round KO of Kenichi Ogawa in June 2022. Has Cordina lost his power or the self-confidence needed for him to load up on his right hand like he did against Ogawa?
If he lands that same shot on Shakur, 100% he knocks him cold because he can’t take that kind of power. No one can.
Stevenson’s Potential Downfall Against Zepeda
Assuming Stevenson wins this fight against Cordina, he’s expected to face #1 WBC-ranked contender William Zepeda in the first quarter of 2025. That’s where it will get really interesting because Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs) can punch, and he throws a lot of shots, many of them to the body.
Shakur hasn’t fought a body puncher on the level of Zepeda during his seven-year pro career, and all the head movement he does will be useless for him against this type of fighter. Shakur’s time may be up as a WBC champion in that fight, and he’ll be exposed.
If Cordina doesn’t get Shakur, Zepeda could be the beginning of the end for Shakur, with him getting stopped. I just wonder if Eddie Hearn or whoever has Shakur under a promotional contract will have an early exit clause to allow them to let him loose.
The last thing Hearn would need is another albatross that is useless to him, someone that he must protect with soft match-making to keep him from getting beaten again.
⚠️ Don’t sleep on Joe Cordina 😤#BeterbievBivol | October 12 | #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/OSS74ca8rN
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) August 22, 2024
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