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Joe Cordina Regains World Title In Thriller Against Rakhimov

Written by Kerr Ferguson on 22nd April 2023.

Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov and Joe Cordina

Joe Cordina beat Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov by split decision in Cardiff to become IBF Super Featherweight World Champion for the second time.

The Welshman won the world title by knocking out Kenichi Ogawa in sensational fashion back in June of 2022. He was set to make his first defence against southpaw Rakhimov in November – a previously agreed bout that was high priority – but an injury saw him unable and the IBF, many say cruelly, stripped him of the belt.

It’s all part of a bigger story now, as the 31-year-old has managed to become a two-time world champion in the same weight division, with the same belt, in less than a year and still with his undefeated record in tact.

Cordina was a man on a mission from the first bell – in fact, he has been since he was stripped of the belt. He looked for his angles and threw with intent. Fortunately for Rakhimov, not much of note landed in the opener. He found good success with the uppercut towards the end of the round, but the champion fired back just as hard.

Relentless pressure from Rakhimov set a blistering pace for the action. Cordina made it work for him, though, taking his chances when he could and covering up tight when he couldn’t. At the end of the second, he dropped the man from Tajikistan – a short left caught him on the rise from some dodging and made him crumple to the canvas.

He handled it well for the rest of the round and kept up his pressure thereafter, but all of the momentum was with the Welshman – who looked built for this stage – in front of his home crowd.

A beautifully timed left hook from Cordina really tested the chin of Rakhimov in the fourth, but the the champion’s work rate was the star of the round. He landed an impressive shot of his own at the end, and followed it up with a satisfyingly speedy combination of hooks to the Welshman’s body.

Rakhimov landed a massive right hand in the fifth and it was a wonder that Cordina stayed up. He was forced to hold until he found his feet enough to fire back, recovering well by the end of the round.

Both men returned for the sixth at a slightly slower pace, but it only took a minute for them to meet in the middle of the ring and look to end it there and then. A cut on Rakhimov’s eye began to worsen and Cordina worked cleverly again, optimising his shots by waiting for his man to come in and meet them.

An incredible scrap at the halfway stage that was switching back and forth almost as quickly each punch was thrown.

Cordina had good success at many stages, but the seventh saw him land even more even cleaner. It was an expertly one-sided round. The next had more urgency and success from the champion, and that continued into the ninth – Cordina kept up the eye-catching work whilst Rakhimov’s speed was providing his highlights.

The champion’s work rate was particularly impressive in the tenth – a good round for him both in terms of pressure and variety of shots. The eleventh really summed up the story of the fight, with Rakhimov busier but Cordina a little smarter. In the final round, Cordina raised his arms to get the crowd going and shuffled around the ring. Rakhimov invited him to fight more.

The final bell rung on a stellar championship fight, and the wait for the scores was on. The challenger took it by a single round – 116-111 Rakhimov, 115-112 Cordina, and 114-113 Cordina. A worthy champion, no question.

Elsewhere on the card, a relentless Sandy Ryan beat Marie Pier Houle over the distance to become WBO Welterweight World Champion in just her seventh fight.

Gavin Gwynne defeated Craig Woodruff definitively to defend his British Lightweight title after the pair fought to a majority draw last September. The two welshmen lasted for five rounds, with Gwynne taking control convincingly in the fourth and finishing the job in the fifth with a TKO.

Zelfa Barrett – last in unsuccessfully against Rakhimov – got back to winning ways against a brave and durable Jordan, hurting and dropping him on the way to a wide decision victory. He’ll be looking to B

Cruiserweight Jordan Thompson faced some adversity against Luke Watkins before working his body and dropping him with a straight right to the head in the sixth.

It was promptly waved off for ‘Troublesome’ Thompson to keep his IBF European title and undefeated record.