Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed that he’s had talks with Joe Cordina about him moving up to 135 to challenge Shakur Stevenson for his WBC lightweight title. Hearn says it’s just in the “discussions” stage.
If Hearn is going to sign the free agent Shakur to his Matchroom company, offering him Cordina would be a nice gesture on his part.
It would be low-risk, and it would help Hearn build Shakur as a star in the UK because the U.S. audiences have been unappreciative of his retro Mayweather-esque fighting style. Shakur’s fighting style might be the right cup of tea for British audiences.
Cordina (17-1, 9 KOs) recently lost his IBF super featherweight title to Anthony Cacace by an eighth-round knockout on May 18th in a one-sided fight.
On many levels, Cordina, 32, wouldn’t be ideal for challenging a highly skilled defensive artist like Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs). Cordina is ranked #13 WBC. So, he would get a title shot against many higher-ranked contenders in the WBC’s rankings, like #1 William Zepeda and Raymond Muratalla.
“I’ve spoken to Joe [Cordina] about fighting Shakur Stevenson. Joe is up for it, but he also understands the challenge,” said Eddie Hearn to Boxing News about former IBF super featherweight champion Joe Cordina potentially challenging Shakur Stevenson for his WBC lightweight title next.
“Ideally, moving up a weight division, you’d probably want an easier fight than Shakur Stevenson, but Joe is at the age where he wants to be involved in the biggest fights in the sport. If he feels the opportunity is right, I’m sure he’ll take it. But nothing close yet. Discussions,” said Hearn.
Cordina would be foolish to turn down a title shot against Shakur if offered because he’s too old to work his way up the lightweight rankings to earn a shot. He likely wouldn’t do well if he fought some of the contenders in the WBC’s rankings, like Andy Cruz, Keyshawn Davis, Edwin De Los Santos, and Mark Chamberlain.
It’s unclear what happened with William Zepeda being Shakur’s next challenger. Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya had spoken favorably to His Excellency Turki Alalshikih about Zepeda challenging Shakur for his next.
If De La Hoya has changed his mind, he could want Zepeda to face WBC ‘regular’ lightweight champion Gervonta Davis next. That’s a much bigger payday than a match against Shakur.
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