Shakur Stevenson is coaching with Terence Crawford to organize for the protection of his WBC light-weight title in opposition to Joe Cordina of their odd undercard headliner on October twelfth on the Kingdom Enviornment in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
If Shakur is getting paid 5 million for this combat in opposition to Cordina, he’ll want to show in a priceless efficiency to impress not solely followers but in addition his promoter, Eddie Hearn. Hearn is paying him all that dough, naively considering he can remodel him right into a “international famous person.”
This isn’t a combat that Shakur wants Crawford’s assist, provided that Cordina isn’t a high-level fighter and appeared abysmal in his final combat, getting taken aside by 35-year-old Anthony Cacace, dropping by an eighth-round knockout on Could 18th.
The Want for a Stylistic Overhaul
I wouldn’t use Terence Crawford to be taught to grow to be entertaining as a result of he’s additionally very boring to observe, and Shakur gained’t get something from working with that previous man. Crawford’s final combat in opposition to Israil Madrimov final month was a uninteresting chess match that the followers booed.
If Shakur feels he wants assist for this combat to morph right into a extra entertaining fighter, he must enlist the assistance of Abdullah Mason. He’s simply probably the most thrilling fighter within the 135-lb division and is on the specific journey to PPV stardom.
Mason is the man Shakur ought to be taught from as a result of his combating type wants an entire overhaul. Followers intensely dislike Shakur’s method, and he ought to have made modifications years in the past as an alternative of ready.
He’s adopted a throwback Mayweather-esque combating type that doesn’t work with followers of this period of the game, who demand leisure and don’t have any persistence for Floyd’s tedious method.
Like music, followers change their tastes, and what they loved listening to 10 to twenty years in the past is not interesting to youthful individuals. As such, Shakur should be taught to combat within the pocket and cease working, beginning together with his tune-up combat in opposition to Cordina on October twelfth.
Constructing Stevenson’s Reputation
Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) has been fed a beatable non-lightweight opponent, Cordina (17-1, 9 KOs), in his debut with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing promotion to lift his nonexistent recognition with U.S followers forward of what might be an enormous 2025.
The Shakur vs. Cordina combat and the skeleton crew of an undercard have been cropped off from the primary occasion combat between WBA mild heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol and IBF/WBC/WBO champ Artur Beterbiev.
It will likely be proven stay on DAZN PPV for a value that has but to be decided. Followers can be apoplectic if the Stevenson-Cordina PPV value is within the $70+ vary moderately than a extra reasonable value of $20.
“What Eddie Hearn is doing is bringing his identify again off the bottom, giving him somebody he ought to cook dinner,” stated coach Greg Hackett to the YSM Sports activities Media YouTube channel, discussing Shakur Stevenson’s title protection in opposition to the not too long ago knocked-out Joe Cordina on October twelfth in Riyadh.
63-0 🔥@terencecrawford serving to @ShakurStevenson in camp for Joe Cordina on Oct 12 😮💨 #StevensonCordina #BeterbievBivol #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/3ZwAPGnko5
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) September 3, 2024
The Problem of Change
Hackett is right. Shakur ought to look spectacular beating Cordina, however that doesn’t imply he’ll. Outdated habits die exhausting, and if Cordina comes out of the gates quick, throwing proper palms with full energy on them, Shakur will placed on his sprinter footwear and can be on the run.
Ideally, Shakur ought to keep within the pocket and be keen to take Cordina’s pictures to land his personal, however he most likely gained’t. Cordina punches tougher than Shakur’s final opponent, Artem Harutyunyan, and he wasn’t keen to face and commerce final July.
“Joe Cordina is to be revered,” stated Hackett. “He’s not no chump, however he’s clearly not the favourite in opposition to Shakur. That’s okay, however Shakur has acquired to go in there and do what you do to the utmost. Give him an enormous [backside] whooping.”
Shakur won’t give Cordina a bottom whooping like Hackett believes as a result of that’s not his method to combating. Stevenson nonetheless makes use of the identical beginner fencing type that he had in the course of the Olympics, and he doesn’t appear able to change.
At 27, Shakur is 100% set in his methods, and he appears to be like like an individual who can’t change his combating type with out it bodily breaking him. He’s hooked on his combating type and is simply too afraid to take punches. Shakur has an excessive amount of rabbit in him to vary, and he would possibly as effectively be a 40-year-old as a result of he’s past change.
“Let Eddie discuss his [stuff] and let Shakur do his work and watch what we’re speaking about subsequent,” stated Hackett. “It’ll be somebody honorable subsequent after Cordina [that Shakur fights]. I believe it’s for one thing higher after this. Let’s get previous Cordina and do what we acquired to do. Keep targeted. Let’s beat Cordina and appear to be one thing. Let’s give the individuals one thing to speak about and let Eddie work his magic.”
Hearn isn’t going to have the ability to hype the Shakur vs. Cordina combat even to encourage U.S. boxing followers to buy this occasion, believing that this conflict is pure gold.
It would promote within the UK, the place Cordina remains to be well-liked, however within the U.S., they know why he’s being introduced in. It’s to make Shakur look good, rebuild him artificially, and assist PPV gross sales for a Stevenson vs. William Zepeda combat within the first quarter of 2025.
The Must Take Dangers
“I’m on the lookout for a bit little bit of a risk-taker; that’s what I’m on the lookout for,” stated Hackett about what he’s anticipating to see from Shakur on October twelfth in opposition to Cordina. “I do know the talents can be there [for Shakur]. I do know the protection goes to be there. I’m not speaking about that. Take just a few dangers. That’s what I’m speaking about. Go in there and chunk down.”
Shakur should take dangers in opposition to the 32-year-old Cordina as a result of it’s on DAZN PPV, and he should create curiosity for fights in opposition to Zepeda and Gervonta Davis subsequent 12 months. If Shakur runs from a low-level fighter like Cordina, followers aren’t going to wish to buy his fights in opposition to Tank and Zepeda on PPV.
