What’s Next For Shakur Stevenson After Injuring His Right Hand?

News broke on Wednesday afternoon that WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) suffered an injury to his right hand, forcing him to have surgery on it and subsequently canceling his October 12 fight against Joe Cordina (17-1, 9 KOs). Although fight fans shared their distaste for the matchup against Cordina when initially announced, Stevenson appeared motivated to show off on his Matchroom debut ahead of a potential fight with William Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs) in February as part of a Riyadh Season card.

Stevenson, obviously disappointed that he injured his hand during training camp, had this to say about the situation. “I am definitely disappointed that I won’t be able to fight on October 12. 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.”

In the press release by his team, it was mentioned that Stevenson “will be able to resume training in six to eight weeks.” This means, at the latest, Stevenson will begin training in mid-November, giving him a little over two months to get ready for a February fight with Zepeda if fight is signed. A question mark looms over that fight as Zepeda has opted to take an interim one in November against Tevin Farmer (33-6-1, 8 KOs) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Boxing always tends to ruin ready-made plans, so before we start thinking about Stevenson vs. Zepeda in February, let’s ensure Zepeda gets past Farmer in November.

Will Stevenson Go Straight Into A Fight With Zepeda After Recovering From Surgery?

Stevenson‘s next opponent is a tricky question, as he is the supreme competitor, as are his mentors Terence Crawford and Andre Ward. Coming off of surgery and going straight into a Zepeda fight might not be the best path for Stevenson, even though he may think it is. We all hate the term “marinating a fight,” but Stevenson should revisit the Cordina matchup for February and then fight Zepeda in the summer. In the meantime, Zepeda can make moves for more attractive matchups, and if successful, could earn him a title. Whether that is fighting Vasily Lomachenko (IBF champion) or Denys Berinchyk (WBO champion), those fights would not only raise Zepeda’s profile but also the stakes for the Stevenson fight as it would now be a unification bout if Zepeda could earn a title during one of those matchups.

The next eight weeks should be interesting to see if Stevenson goes straight for the Zepeda fight or if he takes an interim fight like Cordina before revisiting Zepeda for later next year.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is a 2x award-winning writer, International Boxing Hall of Fame voter, founder and publisher of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms, including online, network TV, and promotional companies. He is an alumnus of an American Public University and a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, and contributed to The Ring Magazine, FanSidedMMA, and ProBoxTV.

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