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Cordina won British and Commonwealth titles at lightweight earlier in his career, having been a decorated amateur boxer who fought at an Olympics and in the same Team GB programme as his friend Anthony Joshua.<\/p>\n
After turning professional in 2017 he became Wales’ 13th world champion boxer when he beat Kenichi Ogawa to claim the IBF super-featherweight title in June 2022.<\/p>\n
Cordina was stripped of the title when he was unable to defend it within a 90-day window after suffering a broken hand, but won it back with a hard-fought split-decision win over Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in April 2023.<\/p>\n
He was a strong favourite to retain his belt in Riyadh in May 2024, but the referee stopped the fight in the eighth round of a bout dominated by Belfast’s Cacace.<\/p>\n
Cordina was scheduled to make a comeback against Shakur Stevenson in October 2024, but the WBC lightweight champion pulled out with a hand injury.<\/p>\n
Returning from a 14-month lay-off in July 2025 he beat Gonzalez Quiroz with a hard-fought points decision at Manchester’s AO Arena, needing to dig deep against the quick-handed and spirited Mexican.<\/p>\n
Cordina was given a scare by Flores Jr in a fight billed as a final eliminator for the WBO lightweight world title.<\/p>\n
The Welshman was docked a point in the sixth round in Stockton for rabbit punching and saw his knees buckled by an uppercut in round seven.<\/p>\n
However Cordina went on to win his first fight in America 117-110 115-112 114-113, establishing himself as Mason’s number one contender.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n