Over the weekend in Cardiff (Wales), local featherweight prospect Joe Cordina (15-0, 9 KOs) made a significant bid for victory in the knockout of the year nomination – already in the 2nd round he cut down (there is a video on the link) Japanese IBF champion Kenichi Ogawa (26-2-1, 18 KOs).
The Briton does not intend to stop there and
already challenged to the division leader and unified world champion American Shakur Stevenson (18-0, 9 KOs): “I always dreamed of a champion title. Planning for the near future is not yet ready. I want to spend time with my family first. I don’t know exactly where today’s victory will take me. Although… You know, it’s still sunny here in September. Yes, and Shakur seemed to say that he was ready for the voyage. If he is ready, then he will not rust behind me.
Stevenson really promised to come to Britain to fight Cordina after he knocked out the Japanese: “I told you that he is No. 1 in England. I would love to come to England to fight him. Champion, congratulations.”
Cordina admits that for a long time he honed with the coach the very blow that managed to cut down Ogawa: “We knew that he had powerful fists. But I warned him before the fight that I was going to catch and check his beard. Coach Tony Sims and I worked for hours on this shot. They named him “Roberto Duran”. The trick is to pretend to attempt a body attack: a fake maneuver, a fake jab, and then the fatal blow flies out. We have had several variations of this combination. I’m glad the idea worked.”
In April Stevenson beat the previous leader in this weight Mexican Oscar Valdez. He is also matched with opponents of the lightweight from Ukraine Vasily Lomachenko. Stevenson comments on these rumors confidently and simply: “The Lomachenko code has already been cracked.”
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