Joe Cordina has much grander plans for his time in the lightweight division.
As far as his US debut on Saturday, though, his agenda isn’t particularly extensive beyond defeating local favorite Gabriel Flores Jnr.
“We’re here to turn up, fuck shit up and bounce,” Cordina told BoxingScene.
Cordina, a former two-time IBF 130lbs, is all business as he heads into his WBO 135lbs title eliminator with Flores. Their scheduled 12-round contest is part of a DAZN show that takes place from the Stockton Arena in Flores’ hometown of Stockton, California.
The show is headlined by a battle between super-middleweight contenders Diego Pacheco and Kevin Lele Sadjo.
As for this bout, conceding regional advantage to his opponent was not at all a concern to Wales’ Cordina, 18-1 (9 KOs).
The opportunity represents the type of means to an end he seeks moving forward, rather than getting in the ring solely for the sake of taking a fight. While he won’t outright become the mandatory challenger, a victory on Saturday will leave Cordina in a favorable position to challenge newly crowned WBO 135lbs titlist Abdullah Mason, 20-0 (17 KOs).
Having just celebrated his 34th birthday on Monday, the goal moving forward is to make every move count.
“We’re on the verge of fighting for the world title – this is the route I want to go,” stated Cordina. “From now on, if a fight takes me off the path of fighting for a world title, then it don’t interest me. As long as it keeps me on a path to win a world title, I’m happy.”
Saturday will mark Cordina’s second straight at lightweight since his return to the division earlier in 2025. Nine of his first 10 pro fights came in the 135lbs division before he dropped down to junior lightweight, where he twice claimed the IBF 130lbs title.
A broken hand, and a lengthy ring absence because of it, ended his first reign. He regained his old belt in a split decision win over Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov at home in Cardiff in April 2023.
Just one successful defense followed before he suffered an eighth-round stoppage defeat by Northern Ireland’s Anthony Cacace in May 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Cordina already knew going into that fight that he was on borrowed time at 130lbs.
As much was shown in his planned next fight, when he was prepared to jump straight into the fire with a challenge of WBC lightweight titlist Shakur Stevenson. They were due to meet that October on a Riyadh Season show, only for Stevenson to withdraw through injury.
That development left Cordina out of the ring for a more than a year – and for several months without a promoter of record after his contract expired with Matchroom. The two rejoined forces earlier this summer, complete with Cordina’s official return to lightweight where he soundly defeated Jaret Gonzalez over 10 rounds in July in Manchester, England.
“Three fights ago, we wanted to move up,” said Cordina. “I didn’t and we paid the price for it. We’re here now, though. And we’re prepared to make the big fights; get this place back to the best fighting the best. It’s not happening enough in this division.”
That’s a culture that Cordina hopes to change, beginning with a victory over Flores, 25-2 (8 KOs), who’s won six in a row.
“Shakur has a big fight coming up with Teofimo Lopez, but that’s at [140lbs]," he said. "So, who knows if he comes back. Then you have [WBA 135lbs titlist] Gervonta Davis, nobody knows what’s going on there, if he’ll even fight again.
“So, that’s the two biggest names and those two belts being tied up. When you get everyone in a logjam just fighting for that one belt that’s available, that’s when things really slow down. We have to get away from that, and I believe with this division about to become wide open that I can be the one to lead it.”
With a win, the next logical move would be for Cordina to call for a showdown with Mason, who is in the voluntary stage of his new reign. The politician in Eddie Hearn will, naturally, call for an immediate showdown and perhaps even file a petition with the WBO to order the fight.
The other remaining belt at the weight belongs to Raymond Muratalla, 23-0 (17 KOs), the IBF titlist who next defends against mandatory challenger Andy Cruz, 6-0 (3 KOs) on January 24. Cruz is also with Matchroom, who is the lead promoter for that DAZN event.
A changing of the guard there instantly provides another avenue for Cordina to explore.
“That’s when the excitement happens, when the fans start buzzing,” Cordina said. “You get the best of the best willing to fight each other, and you prove to the world who the number one [fighter] is – that’s what the sport misses out on so many times.
“I don’t just want to win another world title, I want to win all the titles and be known as the best. It wasn’t happening for a long time [at 135lbs], or when I was at [130lbs], no matter how hard we tried to get those other guys in the ring. Now that I’m back where I belong, I’m not going to let anyone waste my time. Straight to business, every fight is a big fight.”
