Joe Cordina To Defend IBF Title Sept. 30 In Cardiff; Desired Unification With O’Shaquie Foster Unlikely

Joe Cordina is set for a third straight home game.

The unbeaten, two-time IBF junior lightweight titlist is on the hunt for a challenger but is armed with a fight date and location. Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed that Cordina will headline a September 30 DAZN show in Cardiff, Wales, where he has appeared in each of his past two outings.

A domestic pairing is likely in store for the 31-year-old Welshman.

“From a UK perspective, a British perspective, you got Zelfa Barrett, you got [Belfast’s Anthony] Cacace,” Hearn revealed to IFL TV.

Cordina (16-0, 9KOs) will attempt his first title defense across two title reigns. He regained the belt in a twelve-round, split decision victory over unbeaten Shavkat Rakhimov on April 22 at Cardiff International Arena. The same venue housed his first title win, a sensational second-round knockout of Kenichi Ogawa last June 3.

A broken hand injury prevented Cordina from making a mandatory title defense last November versus Rakhimov, which resulted in his being stripped of the title by the IBF.

Rakhimov won the belt in a ninth-round knockout of Manchester’s Barrett (29-2,16KOs last November 5 in Abu Dhabi. Barrett rebounded with a twelve-round win over former title challenger Jason Sanchez on the Cordina-Rakhimov and is the likely frontrunner to challenge Cordina in September.

Cordina will begrudgingly accept the fight, though his primary goal was a title unification bout versus recently crowned WBC titleholder O’Shaquie Foster (20-2, 11KOs).

“We spoke about Foster,” Hearn acknowledged. “I don’t think that’s going to be next.”

The news didn’t sit well with the unbeaten IBF champ.

“I’ve been on to them to try and fight the big names/champions in my weight and weight above because I want to be in massive fights,” Cordina stated in a recent response on Twitter to the current direction of his career. “And all [they’re] talking about is domestic fights that I don’t gain anything from.

“Baffles me that we don’t want the same thing, all the belts.”

Barring a change in itinerary, that dream will have to remain on hold until 2024.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox