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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Donagh Corby

Joe Cordina eager for Shakur Stevenson unification bout after stunning world title win

Joe Cordina is pushing hard to make a super featherweight title unification bout against fellow unbeaten fighter Shakur Stevenson.

The Welsh star turned heads with an outrageous second round knockout of Kenichi Ogawa to claim the IBF belt, while Stevenson recently unified the WBC and WBO straps back in April. And assuming the American can get past Robson Conceicao in September, Cordina is keen to make a super-fight between the pair.

Stevenson, only 25-years-old, has indicated that he would be willing to travel to the UK to face Cordina, who packed the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff last month for his world title shot. And the pair could make a massive bout happen, once the New Jersey native has won his own homecoming.

Jordan Flynn, a sparring partner of Cordina's and one of Britain's most exciting prospects at 5-0 in his own right, has been speaking with his teammate lately. And he insists he is laser-focused on unifying the division.

Speaking with Mirror Fighting ahead of own his sixth outing, at York Hall this weekend, Flynn explained that after the high of his win died down, the Welshman laid out a plan to add to his belt collection. "It was an amazing night for him in Cardiff," Flynn explained. "It's one thing he can look back on proudly for the rest of his life.

"He's been on a high, but he feels normal now as the world champion, he keeps on watching it all back. Not just the knockout, but the whole fight and the event, from the ring walk to everything.

"He really wants to relive that moment again, he said. I was ringside watching and it was an unbelievable night, he did what he had to do and I don't think anyone expected him to get him out of there like that. Joe shocked him, shocked everyone because it looked like it was going to be a hard fight."

And he is now eyeing up another major world title victory against Stevenson, who has become one of the most intriguing fighters in the world. Cordina's promoter Eddie Hearn will need to work with Bob Arum and Top Rank to make a deal, but Flynn believes the pair can get it done.

"He definitely wants that fight with Shakur," Flynn explained. "He was talking to me about how he wants big fights now. Look at how he won that world title.

"Shakur is a very, very good fighter, but that old cliche is that styles make fights. I feel that Joe definitely has the style to give himself a great chance.

"He shocked us with how he won his last fight so he can definitely do something similar. The odds will slightly lean towards Shakur as the favourite, but I wouldn't be writing Joe off at all."

Do you think that Joe Cordina beats Shakur Stevenson if the pair fight for the unified titles? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Flynn is fresh off an April 30 knockout victory over the game journeyman Constantin Radoi, who had been stopped just once and had just fought at Wembley Stadium on Tyson Fury's undercard. And he will look to add to his highlight reel on Saturday night against Jahfieus Faure at the iconic York Hall in Bethnal Green.

"I'm trying to stay active this year," Flynn explained, hopeful to get another fight in just two weeks after he faces Faure. "I've got one on Saturday and another shortly after, I want to stay busy.

"Right now, at this stage, it's about staying active and staying busy. I want to try and push for 10-0 by the end of the year if I can, and then next year start looking at getting my first title.

"These guys I'm fighting don't get stopped and they're in there week in, week out against some of the best prospects. They know how to survive and they know how to mix things up, they're clever."

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