American multi-division champion Shakur Stevenson has found a new home in Matchroom Boxing after entering the free agent market last month following his July 6th fight against Artem Harutyunyan. The move will see the UK-based Matchroom further reinforce its position in boxing with the acquisition of an arguable generational talent in Stevenson. The Newark-born star further already has a fight scheduled for October as he is set to defend his WBC lightweight title against Joe Cordina on the undercard of the Beterbiev-Bivol card.
Shakur Stevenson (22-0, 10 KO’s) had previously been linked with the US-based Golden Boy Promotions, but founder and CEO of Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya, ruined his chances of capturing Stevenson after demanding that Stevenson sign with Golden Boy in order to facilitate a fight with #1 lightweight (135 lbs) Mexican contender William Zepeda (31-0 , 27 KO’s).
Stevenson had further already been speculated to be joining Matchroom after he displayed interest in joining the promotion. This speculation only intensified after the two were spotted together during the Crawford-Madrimov event held on August 3rd.
De La Hoya had also claimed that the World Boxing Council (WBC) had ordered Stevenson and Zepeda to fight. However, an official announcement for this mandate by the sanctioning body remained absent, and the circumstances on the current this state of this order remains a mystery as the WBC has continued to stay silent on this matter.
Stevenson’s next opponent will be fellow Matchroom fighter, Welshman Joe Cordina (17-1, 9 KO’s), who will be moving up to 135 lbs in his world title challenge against the American. Cordina had previously reigned as the IBF super featherweight (130 lbs) champion for roughly two years before recently finding himself dethroned by fellow Brit Anthony Cacace (22-1, 8 KO’s). Cordina has fought at lightweight previously, but hasn’t fought in the weight category since 2021.
The fight between Stevenson and Cordina represents an unexpected but significant fight given the pedigree and skillset of both fighters. While there are several questions surrounding Cordina’s form, given he was stopped by Cacace in his last match, the fight overall seems to be a good indicator to test the abilities of both fighters.
Details on the exact specifics of the deal between Shakur Stevenson and Matchroom remain scarce but will be expanded upon during a press conference the promotional outfit is set to hold this week in Los Angeles, California, to announce their signing.
