MOVIN’ ON UP
But Dodd will fancy his chances of halting Cordina’s rise, writes Elliot Worsell
JOE CORDINA’S step up in class was supposed to happen back in March when he boxed at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium in front of a stadium crowd slowly filling up before a world heavyweight title unification fight. It was meant to be Andy Townend in the opposite corner that night, in what would have represented a stern test, but instead Cordina made do with Hakim Ben Ali, a mover from Belgium with just one stoppage win in 24 professional fights.
Alas, what first appeared a fascinating domestic tussle ended up being a onesided blowout, as Cordina stalked a nervous Ali for two-and-a-half rounds before putting him out of his misery in the third. In the process, as with the six fights before it, we learnt very little about the 26-year-old from Cardiff.
However, some good news: this Saturday at Cardiff ’s Ice Arena, Cordina will finally get the step up in class he craves when he tackles battle-hardened Liverpudlian Sean “Masher” Dodd for the vacant Commonwealth lightweight title – a belt previously owned by Dodd.
For Cordina, a 2016 Olympian, this is more like it. This, unlike the previous seven pro fights, feels like the start of something. It gives him the chance to send a message to the other lightweights in Britain and offers us the chance to see if Cordina’s as good as we suspect and have been told.
So far, he’s barely put a foot wrong. With six of his seven wins coming by way of stoppage, Cordina, a skilful, clever boxer by nature, has shown he also carries power in the pro game, and it’s this element, rather than his ability to outbox foes, that could separate him from the pack. Certainly, if he’s able to stop Dodd, we’ll know we’re dealing with someone worth getting excited about.
As for Dodd, 15-3-1 (3), he enjoyed a fruitful 2016 and 2017, beating the likes of Tom Stalker, Lee Appleyard and Francesco Patera, but then came unstuck in April of this year when relinquishing his Commonwealth belt to a buoyant Tommy Coyle.
The former champion, by his own admission, wasn’t at the races that night. He found himself overwhelmed by an opponent out to prove a point and was eventually stopped in six. On form, however, he’s better than that, and it’s for this reason he’ll not only be disappointed to have lost for the first time in three years but will perhaps be keen to set the record straight against Cordina, an amateur star with a scalp worth having.
It’s fair to say, too, that Dodd’s skills are probably underrated. His defence is usually tight, he’s cute with his movement and counterpunching, and he reads a fight well. Yet, while these attributes will no doubt ask questions of Cordina and provide the kind of test he needs at this stage in his career, they won’t be enough to blemish his unbeaten record.
In the night’s chief support contest, Natasha Jonas defends her WBA international super-featherweight title against Viviane Obenauf, an experienced Brazilian by way of Switzerland.
Jonas and Obenauf were supposed to meet back in April, but a foot injury to Obenauf, 12-4 (6), scuppered those plans and Jonas instead stopped France’s Taoussy L’hadji in round six to claim her first professional title.
This WBA international belt is one she wears proudly; one she kept with her at all times in the days and weeks that followed her most recent win. It’s also one she will hope to upgrade in time.
For now, though, Jonas, 6-0 (5), remains in the learning phase of her career, and just as L’hadji offered some awkward looks and never-before-seen angles, Obenauf, outpointed by Katie Taylor in 2016 and stopped by Chantelle Cameron last year, should provide some resilience and work-rate. She won’t, however, be good enough to stop the Jonas rise.
Also on the Ice Arena card are bouts featuring Kazakhstan’s 2016 Olympic gold medallist Daniyar Yeleussinov, 2-0 (1), Sheffield’s Jordan Gill, 20-0 (4), and Newport’s Sean Mcgoldrick, 6-0 (2). Meanwhile, Gamal Yafai, 14-1 (7), and Scott Cardle, 22-2-1 (7), return from recent defeats to Gavin Mcdonnell and Lewis Ritson respectively.
THE VERDICT Cordina is highly touted and he encounters welcome test against ‘Masher’ Dodd.