"God works in mysterious ways” - Shakur Stevenson releases first statement after pulling out of Joe Cordina fight due to hand injury
Shakur Stevenson has been forced out of his WBC lightweight title fight with Joe Cordina due to a hand injury. The pair were scheduled to clash on Oct. 12 in a thrilling bout, and the untimely injury will undoubtedly frustrate both pugilists.
Cordina suffered his first career defeat to Anthony Cacace in May, so he would have been hungry to turn things around against an elite opponent like Stevenson.
Fortunately for the former IBF super featherweight champion, his clash with the American will be rescheduled for early 2025. The 22-0 WBC champion took to Instagram after undergoing surgery on his injured hand and wrote the following:
"God works in mysterious ways through the ups and downs I'm steady hungry and motivated more than ever. 2025 gonna be my best year yet. Surgery went great it's a minor setback for a major comeback."
See Shakur Stevenson's post below:
Boxing fans will certainly be disappointed that Stevenson vs. Cordina will no longer feature as part of an unbelievable fight card set to be headlined by the undisputed light heavyweight title fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
Eddie Hearn shares thoughts on Shakur Stevenson's injury
Eddie Hearn, the chairman of Matchroom Boxing and promoter of both Shakur Stevenson and Joe Corinda, recently shared his thoughts on the injury suffered by the WBC lightweight champion.
Having labeled Stevenson as a "generational talent" after recently acquiring his signature as a client of Matchroom Boxing, Hearn will be less than pleased with the recent injury.
The chairman of Matchroom Boxing shared an update on his fighter's situation during a recent interview with Fight Hub TV, saying this:
"I spoke to Shakur last night. He damaged his hand in camp, he's been training in Colorado, sparring. He went to get a scan last night and he's torn the tendon in his knuckle. He had to go for immediate surgery, which he had this morning. He's out of surgery now."
Hearn continued:
"Very disappointed, you know. Obviously disappointed for himself, and we're disappointed for Shakur and Joe Cordina as well. And for Riyadh Season. But there's nothing you can do."
Watch Hearn discuss Shakur Stevenson's injury below: