Can Joe Cordina dethrone IBF super-featherweight champion Kenichi Ogawa in Cardiff?
(Picture: Getty Images)Joe Cordina fights Kenichi Ogawa in Cardiff tonight, hoping to become Wales’ 13th world boxing champion.
The 2016 GB Olympian - a Commonwealth Games bronze medalist in Glasgow in 2014 - is eager to make up for lost time, having seen his progress hampered by a serious hand injury that cost him the whole of 2020.
The undefeated and ultra-slick Cordina eventually returned after surgery last March, shaking off the ring rust following 17 months out with a decision win over Faroukh Kourbanov at Wembley Arena.
He needed just 53 seconds to blast through Joshuah Hernandez at Matchroom Fight Camp last summer, last appearing in Liverpool in December as he outpointed Miko Khatchatryan to collect the WBA Continental super-featherweight title.
Now he will be eager to make a statement against IBF champion Ogawa, the experienced Japanese fighter who will be making the first defence of the IBF belt he won against South Africa’s Azinga Fuzile on the Teofimo Lopez-George Kambosos Jr undercard at Madison Square Garden in November.
Ogawa also won the IBF belt against Tevin Farmer back in 2017, but was later stripped of the title and banned for six months after failing a post-fight drugs test.
Ogawa vs Cordina date, start time, venue and ring walks
Ogawa vs Cordina takes place tonight, Saturday June 4, 2022, at Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales.
The undercard gets underway at 7pm BST, with main event ring walks expected at around 10pm.
As ever, the exact timings will depend on the length of those earlier fights.
Ogawa vs Cordina fight card/undercard in full
Kenichi Ogawa vs Joe Cordina
Faroukh Kourbanov vs Zelfa Barrett
Dalton Smith vs Mauro Perouene
Skye Nicolson vs Gabriela Bouvier
Gamal Yafai vs Sean Cairns
Calum French vs Gadatamen Taylor
Joe Morgan vs Rustem Fatkhullin
Kyron Jones vs Vasif Mamedov
Ben Crocker vs Evgenii Vazem
Monique Bux vs Ester Konecna
How to watch Ogawa vs Cordina
TV channel and live stream: Ogawa vs Cordina is being broadcast live on sports video streaming service DAZN. A subscription to DAZN currently costs £7.99 a month in the UK.
Ogawa vs Cordina fight prediction
Former European amateur champion Cordina’s talents deserve a higher profile, it is such a shame that injuries have prevented him from achieving the recognition his skills clearly merit.
But this is a real chance to put his name firmly on the map with a first world title. 31 in December, he has no time to waste.
Cheered on by a passionate home crowd in Cardiff, the Welsh Wizard will surely have enough to become his nation’s 13th world boxing champion.
That will see him join an illustrious list that also includes the likes of Joe Calzaghe, Lee Selby, Barry Jones, Enzo Maccarinelli and Nathan Cleverly.
Cordina to win via unanimous decision.
Ogawa vs Cordina weights
Ogawa tipped the scales at 129.55 pounds at Friday’s weigh-in, with challenger Cordina slightly heavier at 129.95.
Ogawa vs Cordina betting odds
Ogawa to win: 11/8
Cordina to win: 4/7
Draw: 16/1
Ogawa to win via decision/technical decision: 5/1
Ogawa to win by KO, TKO or DQ: 5/2
Cordina to win by decision/technical decision: 10/11
Cordina to win by KO, TKO or DQ: 7/1
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
