The October 12 Riyadh Season Card has encountered a setback. Shakur Stevenson‘s high-profile title clash has been canceled. A hand injury has prevented the talented Southpaw from participating in the year’s second fight on the Artur Beterbiev–Dmitry Bivol undercard. Needless to say, fans didn’t take the news in a lighter vein. Some proceeded to put their thoughts into words.

The WBC lightweight champion was all set to meet Joe Cordina at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena on October 12. Following his victory over Artem Harutyunyan, speculations were rife over the New Jersey-born Southpaw’s next outing. Some reports suggested steps being taken for a potential blockbuster against Gervonta Davis. However, subsequent news confirmed that Stevenson would defend his title against Cordina.

Shakur Stevenson: Challenges outside the ring

Several new outlets shared the development. “Shakur Stevenson vs. Joe Cordina is OFF and won’t take place on Oct 12th due to a hand injury to Shakur,” read Michael Benson’s tweet. Wishing Shakur Stevenson with a get well soon message, Matchroom Boxing updated a few details.

A post from Boxing Kingdom showed Shakur Stevenson resting his right hand while lying down in what looked like a hospital bed. The news must have disappointed many. Following the criticisms he has been facing since last year’s title win over Edwin De Los Santos, quite a few fans wanted the lightweight champion to secure a statement win.

To take his career to the next level, Stevenson joined Matchroom Boxing. He also drew the attention of His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, who envisions major opportunities for the 27-year-old, including the highly anticipated clash with the lightweight division’s boogeyman, William Zepeda.

Jibes galore

From the comments across different forums, the overall sentiment seemed to be of major letdown. Following the recent development, a few used the opportunity to take a swipe, especially considering Shakur Stevenson’s well-known use of Twitter to express his views. Let’s check what some of them had to say.

This fan recalled last year’s Edwin De Los Santos fight. Considering the kind of scrutiny it came under, they appeared quite settled with the cancelation of the Cordina bout. “I Rather Take This Than Watch Another Shakur vs. Edwin Fight,” the fan remarked.

The next fan questioned the rationale behind calling off the fight when they claimed, Stevenson would barely use his right to hit! The fan said, “He won’t even be throwing the right hand. He should have stayed in!” Then the following user threw shade that the lightweight champion’s hand injury was an outcome of his incessant tweeting: “Shakur Twitterson’s hand injury from tweeting too much.”

But the next fan appeared optimistic. Despite the current setback, they hoped the New Jersey-born Southpaw would be back with a back by next year. Perhaps Stevenson and Cordina may round up again; they expressed a firm belief. This is what this fan said: “Love him or not, Stevenson is rescheduling along with Cordina. Hopefully he has a big fight next.”

Reading a postscript, this follower surmised that it was high time Shakur Stevenson accepted himself as a boxer of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s lineage. Someone who excelled in the technical department rather than proving himself in the power or glitzy bureau. “Guess he can fully embrace being like Money Mayweather now; just be that technical fighter that Mayweather was. Beat everyone, even if it is boring and dominant.”

Through a separate post, Shakur Stevenson reached out to fans and followers and thanked HE Alalshikh and Eddie Hearn for the opportunity he received. Stevenson has promised to make a strong comeback by next year. However, it remains to be seen whether he will face Joe Cordina or some other matchup would be finalized. What about closing the deal with Gervonta Davis?

Jokes and criticisms apart, there’s no point denying that Shakur Stevenson remains an important cog in the lightweight wheel. Any moves in the weight class will have to involve Stevenson. Thus, fans can rest assured of the champion returning with another intriguing or perhaps a much bigger line-up.

What are your thoughts? If Stevenson comes back next year, then should he first close the fight with Joe Cordina, or should the matchup be different?