Joe Cordina is back to regain belt from Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov
Joe Cordina has a straight shot to become a two-time IBF Super-featherweight world champion without ever losing his belt in the ring, when he finally faces Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov.
The Cardiff-born 31-year-old, nicknamed the ‘Welsh Wizard’, was due to make the first defence of his 130lb world title against undefeated Rakhimov at Abu Dhabi last November, but Cordina was forced to withdraw because of injury, and he was punished by being stripped of the coveted belt.
Tajikistan’s Rakhimov (17-0-1, 14 KOs), who won the vacated title by stopping Manchester’s Zelfa Barrett in nine rounds, will face Welshman Cordina at Cardiff International Arena on 22 April. This appears to be a fascinating bout between two fighters who have yet to taste defeat as professionals.
A Commonwealh Games bronze medallist in 2014, Cordina’s disappointment at losing his belt left him contemplating whether to hang up his gloves. It was only thanks to being talked out of retirement by his wife Lauren that he is now fully focused on prolonging his career inside the boxing ring.
He certainly enjoyed his last bout on home soil, being crowned Wales' 13th world champion boxer. A stunning second-round stoppage with a thumbing one-punch knockout over champion Kenichi Ogawa of Japan earned him the prestigious red and gold IB belt inside a stunned Cardiff International Arena last June.
Cordina (15-0, 9 KOs) fractured his right hand badly as a result of his success, which required surgery. He was forced to withdraw from his title defence just over a month from the scheduled fight. His unavailability to fight within a 90-day window meant that the IBF enforced their rules, so Cordina had to stand down as champion.
His latest fight with Rakhimov, a 28-year-old Southpaw who held the IBO Super-featherweight title from 2017 to 2019, is going ahead and gives Cordina home advantage for the fifth time as a professional. He’s bound to generate plenty of vocal support as such a popular and familiar face in the city, having grown up in the suburbs of St. Mellons as well as being an avid supporter of Cardiff City.
The plethora of online betting sites Down Under, most featuring extensive Aussie wagering on boxing bouts, have Cordina and his thunderous right hook as the overwhelming favourite to triumph at odds of 4/11. Rakhimov is a 2/1 shot, with a draw priced as an outside chance at 14/1.
The bookmakers are anticipating Cordina to win by a decision or technical decision (evens), way ahead of a knockout or disqualification success (13/5).
A decision victory or technical decision for Rakhimov offers generous odds (6/1), despite the fact that he has stopped four of his past five opponents by a technical decision.
Rakhimov does arguably boast an advantage in power over IBF-ranked world no.3 Cordina, courtesy of his remarkably high 82% knockout record compared to 60% by the ‘Welsh Wizard’. Yet Rakhimov is surprisingly priced as high as 7/2 to claim victory over Cordina by knockout or disqualification success.
Cordina is the less experienced pro, having fought 81 rounds since making his 2017 debut, and having stopped two of his past five opponents. He’s contested three fewer fights than Rakhimov, who turned pro in 2015 and has fought 91 rounds.
Bookmakers favour Cordina to be victorious towards the end of the contest, as the round betting odds are the shortest at 20/1 for each round eight or round nine. In contrast, for those who fancy an upset then backing Rakhimov to succeed in either round one or round two offers generous odds of 80/1.
The undercard includes Barrett against Redhills’ Alex Dilmaghani, as well as Manchester cruiserweight Jordan Thompson (14-0, 11 KOs) defending his IBF European Title against Swindon’s Luke Watkins (16-2, 11 KOs).
The other fight, apart from Cordina vs Rakhimov, which will surely capture the imagination is the intriguing all-Welsh rematch between Gavin Gwynne (15-2-1, 3 KOs) and Craig Woodruff (12-6-1, 4 KOs) for the BBBOFC British Lightweight Championship crown.
The clash between Merthyr Tydfil's Gwynne, the British and Commonwealth lightweight champion, and Newport’s Woodruff is bound to have an extra edge following September’s controversial meeting in Bolton that ended in a majority draw.