IBF Super-Featherweight Title: At the Cardiff International Arena, Joe Cordina defeated Shavkat Rakhimov via a dramatic split decision to reclaim the IBF Super-Featherweight title.
The 31-year-old Cordina became the first Welsh boxer to win two world titles, but he had to fight hard in a memorable match in front of his home crowd after being injured and stripped of the crown last year.
While two judges gave Cordina the victory with scores of 115-112 and 114-113 in his favour, the other judge gave Rakhimov the victory with a score of 116-111.
With 16 professional fights under his belt, Cordina knocked Rakhimov to the ground in the second round. After suffering serious injuries in the fifth, he delivered a thrilling finish in the final round to win a classic.
The 28-year-old Rakhimov from Tajikistan, who had previously won 17 and drawn one of his 18 fights, was unrelenting despite beginning to fight with a closed right eye in the sixth round.
The champion launched more punches in his first title defence since capturing the strap by defeating Zelfa Barrett of Manchester in November, but Cordina delivered more precise, high-calibre blows.
In the first round, Cordina showed excellent footwork as the champion drove the fight, but in the second, the Welshman let loose and dropped the champion with a quaking left hook.
After winning the count, Rakhimov rebounded from a series of right-upper and left-hook combinations to startle the opponent with a powerful right. Despite appearing weak on his legs, Rakhimov managed to win the fight.
Both boxers kept up a rapid pace. After being floored by a right hand in the fifth round, Cordina found himself in difficulty after catching Rakhimov with a powerful left hook in the fourth round.
Fully recovered from his knockdown, Rakhimov continued to be the aggressor in round six, but he was constrained by a severely swollen right eye and was once more clearly hurt by Cordina’s combinations.
The champion’s legs buckled once more in the tenth round, but he displayed incredible fortitude to keep Cordina on the defensive. However, the British fighter delivered more severe blows in the last round to secure the victory.
The first time Cordina won the championship was in Cardiff in June of last year when he defeated Japan’s Kenichi Ogawa at the Motorpoint Arena in the second round. Cordina has since gone undefeated in 16 professional fights.
He was supposed to defend his championship in November against mandatory IBF challenger Rakhimov, however, he was forced to cancel due to a hand injury, and his belt was then taken away.
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