Joe Cordina Gets Win On Joshua-Takam, Rolls To 5-0
By Elliot Foster
Joe Cordina scored a victory against Lesther Cantillano.
‘The Welsh Wizard’ had been set to vie for his first title on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s WBA Super, IBO and IBF heavyweight world title defence against Carlos Takam.
But the 25-year-old, who this week described the Olympic gold medal-winning star as a ‘cool friend’, had to settle for far less.
Cordina, fighting in his homeland for the first time as a professional, was expected to come up against a much better opponent, with the prize of a fringe belt.
Circumstances beyond his control, however, meant that the fight against late import Cantillano, at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, was just a four-rounder.
With the win, which came on points by a margin of 40 points to 35, Cordina moves to 5-0 with four outings.
It is expected that he will be out again before the end of the calendar year –– and a fight for a title is set to come soon after for the glittering former Team GB amateur.
Dillian Whyte pushed towards a fight for the world title with a comprehensive victory over Robert Helenius.
The Brixton heavyweight unravelled ‘The Nordic Nightmare’ after an unusual start at the Principality Stadium.
Whyte, who lost to Anthony Joshua back in December 2015, took some huge shots from Helenius in the early stages in Cardiff.
But he quickly warmed in to the fight and took everything away from 33-year-old former two-time European champ Helenius –– who had been sparring Joshua in the lead up to his latest world title defence –– and a victory, courtesy of a unanimous decision on the Sky Sports Box Office live broadcast, earned the ex-British king the vacant WBC Silver crown, which will boost his rankings with the WBC.
A shot at Deontay Wilder, who looks to retain his crown in a rematch against Bermane Stiverne on November 4 at the Barclays Center in New York, beckons for ‘The Body Snatcher’, who has longed for a big opportunity to showcase his skills on the big stage at 29 years old.
Whyte won nearly every round against a lethargic Helenius, who looked to have suffered an undisclosed injury to his right arm, elbow or hand, and came out victorious on all three judges’ cards by margins of 119-109, 119-109 and 118-110.
Promoter Eddie Hearn is keen to throw Whyte in with the WBC champion in the sport’s premier division in the New Year, with February 3 reserved at the O2 Arena in London for the clash.
