Joe Cordina: New opponent sought after Shakur Stevenson withdrawal

Stevenson and Cordina were scheduled to meet as the undercard for the undisputed light heavyweight world championship fight between Russians Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

The American Stevenson is undefeated in 22 fights, including 10 stoppages, and was world champion in the featherweight, super featherweight and lightweight divisions.

Cordina said he is now looking for an alternative opponent in Saudi Arabia, either as an undercard for cruiserweights Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez and Chris Billam-Smith on November 16 – or as support for the heavyweight rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury on December 21.

“We have tried to find a replacement but for a fighter of the calibre we fought – Shakur Stevenson is arguably one of the top five fighters in the world – it will be difficult to find a replacement with three weeks' notice,” Cordina told BBC 5 Live.

“So I think the best thing would be to move the date and try again, maybe either November 16 or the second Fury-Usyk fight. That would make more sense – I think we could get a decent and credible opponent.”

Cordina first won the IBF super-featherweight title in June 2022 before relinquishing it due to his own hand surgery. He regained it in April 2023 and successfully defended it once before losing to Northern Ireland's Cacace.