After a 16-month absence, Welsh talent Joe Cordina is looking to resume his pursuit of a world title, starting with a 10-round super-featherweight engagement against Belgium-based Kyrgyzstani Faroukh Kourbanov at The SSE Arena, Wembley, on March 20.
The flashy Cordina (11-0, 7 KOs) has been out of action with a hand injury since outclassing Mexican dangerman Mario Enrique Tinoco in November 2019, but is now fit and ready to make an impact on the world stage.
Two-time European title challenger Kourbanov (17-2, 3 KOs) has never been stopped and should provide some much-needed rounds for the Welshman, who is hoping to contest a world title later in 2021.
“When I first injured my hand, I didn’t think it was going to get back to normal,” said Cardiff stylist Cordina, 29. “But now I’m back training, using it and letting it go. I haven’t had any problems with it at all. It was always at the back of my mind, ‘Is it going to be the same as it was before the injury?’. But I’ve come back and I’m just looking to move on and pick up where I left off. I’m looking forward to putting the super-featherweight division on notice.
“I’ve watched Kourbanov and he’s a good fighter. He’s only lost to European champions. My goal is to become a world champion and I’m not going to stop until I get there. He’s quite a neat boxer. He’s not a big puncher going off his record but that’s not saying he can’t punch. He’s been in with some good opposition and he’s lost to good opposition.
“He’s from Kyrgyzstan boxing out of Belgium, normally they’re good amateurs. I can’t take his boxing skills for granted and think he’s going to be an easy touch. I’m looking forward to it because I know it’s going to be a tough fight. It’s going to be a fight that gets me back into the swing of things. That’s what I want. I don’t want easy fights. I want to be fighting for a world title by the end of this year. I need someone like Kourbanov to bring the best out of me.”
Main image: Matchroom Boxing.