Fri, 17th July Cardiff 28°
Nation.Cymru wordmark
Advertisement

Sport

Cardiff's Joe Cordina claims world title with second-round KO

By Mark Mansfield
Joe Cordina celebrates defeating Kenichi Ogawa. Photo Bradley Collyer PA Images

Joe Cordina claimed the IBF super featherweight title in his home town of Cardiff with a one-punch second-round knockout to unseat Japan’s Kenichi Ogawa.

Welsh favourite Cordina thrilled the Motorpoint Arena crowd with a devastating right-hand finish, to storm to his first world title.

The 30-year-old underwent major hand surgery in 2019, raising concerns on his potential future punching power.

But the Cardiff native showed all the muscle and timing possible, to stun Ogawa and claim the belt.

“It is a lifetime of work gone into five-and-a-half minutes of work; I’m just so thankful,” said Cordina.

“I’ve been throwing some big punches in this camp, we’ve been working hard in the gym.

“We’ve been working on that punch all camp and it’s an amazing feeling when you put hours and hours into it and it comes off, in the fight and it’s lights out.”

[mid-content-banner]

For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News

1 comment

hdavies15

Stevenson or Gutierrez next ? Couple of good pay days should set him up nicely as reward for years of hard work.

Reply

Leave a comment

Comments are reviewed before they appear.