Cordina-Rakhimov Might Steal the Show this Saturday

As the eyes of the boxing world shift to Las Vegas and the stirrings of the undercard for the Tank Davis-Ryan Garcia showdown this Saturday night, a less important fight that is no less interesting will be in full swing. In the Cardiff International Arena, Wales, super-featherweights Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov (17-0-1) out of Los Angeles via Tajikstan, and hometown boy Joe Cordina (15-0) will meet ring centre for a minor alphabet strap and divisional bragging rights that would set the winner at the foot of the divisional throne occupied by Oscar Valdez. Both men are unbeaten, and as I’ve discussed elsewhere on TSS this month, both occupy that sweet spot in the divisional rankings that has consistently delivered quality fights in the first third of 2023. Cordina and Rakhimov both inhabit the top five at 130lbs and both have reasons to expect to have their arm raised this coming Saturday.

But before we get to the fight we should have a brief word about the how and the why, if nothing else to underline once more the pitiful shortcomings of the alphabet organisations who are supposed to be organising our sport.

It is Rakhimov who will defend the IBF 130lb belt this weekend, but it was Cordina who won it less than a year ago in June of 2022 against Japanese veteran Kenichi Ogawa in what was the performance of his life. The latest in a line of fighters to be anointed the “Welsh Wizard” and the direct heir to Joe Calzaghe, the most recent Welsh pound-for-pounder, Cordina delivered on the hype for his “world” title shot. Ogawa, who had been stopped just once a whole decade before, started quickly, schooled, weight on his backfoot, baiting to counter with his jab. He won that first round, but Cordina was getting a close look at his man, alternating between the centre of the ring and quick retreats, trying to dial in a one-two. In the second, Cordina seemed to have a special interest in distance, controlling when Ogawa would move in and move out, using very small moves. Ogawa responded with small moves of his own, forwards for the most part, repeatedly closing the distance on the moving Cordina with a little hop, once risking a huge uppercut. In double-time, Cordina had persuaded Ogawa that it was safe to come forwards.

Cordina stepped lively for the first minute, waited for Ogawa to go flatfooted and landed a perfect punch, a runaway moon of a shot behind a feinted left that caught the stilled Ogawa clean. He roiled on the canvas as Cordina celebrated. I have never seen a better knockout shot; it was a punch Joe Louis would have been proud of.

Such a punch: but it came at a price. Cordina broke his right hand clean, and the injury required surgery. The IBF immediately stripped him. Despite doing exactly what all fighters train for, executed as perfectly as any of the world’s pugs might dream, he was a beltholder for just four months and never lost his “title” in the ring.

“I’ve been informed that I’ve been stripped of the title,” Cordina announced. “I worked my whole life and sacrificed everything to become a world champion, and I ain’t even had the chance to defend it. It feels like I’ve been robbed. Breaks my heart, honestly.”

The scheduled fight he had pulled out of to undergo surgery was against Rakhimov. The IBF, like all the alphabets, get their cash by charging fighters to fight for their titles. They could make no money from Cordina as he recovered in his Cardiff home, so they took his title and threw Rakhimov in with Zelfa Barrett in order that they could service a new champion.

Barrett, already a sometime IBF customer, was otherwise an odd choice but not an indefensible one, a victory over a much smaller Kiko Martinez and a European belt at 130lbs the testimony to that.  Either way, the Englishman found himself travelling out to Abu Dhabi to fight for Cordina’s title.  Handled by the same Matchroom Boxing promotional team that handled Cordina it was clear what the promotional hope was here: that Barrett would take the belt back to Wales for an all-British showdown against the returning Cordina. Rakhimov had other plans.

Barrett made it hard though. Fleet-footed and armed with a sparkly jab, Rakhimov was forced to pursue, and he did so recklessly as early as the second round. He was met with success, throwing with variety and intention, and winning the round clean, but right at the bell Barrett held his ground and threw hard shots to the body and head giving Rakhimov an uncertain moment. In the third Barrett drew Rakhimov forwards onto one of those over-reached rushes and buckled him with a flashing counterpunch. Barrett was on him immediately but in controlled fashion, lashing his man to the body before once more giving ground. Discomforted by a low blow and seemingly eager to punish Barrett, Rakhimov walked onto a right uppercut for a no-count followed by a standing eight and his fight-plan lay in tatters.

Ringside, Cordina will have noted this. Rakhimov showed in these moments both poor judgement and poor temperament, windows for a fighter of Cordina’s talents.

Rakhimov steadied himself though and boxed the fifth halting at the half-distance, showing more head-movement and trying to prevent counters while landing his own stiffer punches. It was an important adjustment and for all that I could feel Rakhimov straining at the leash, he executed it well, and started to exert a drag on the moving Barrett. By the eighth, Barrett, still ahead on my card, had begun to fade and Rakhimov found him with some nasty little shots along the ropes, more organised than he was early in the fight, snatching less. Almost square over his front foot he favoured the southpaw right but began to make more and more room for the left. In the ninth, Rakhimov provided more of the same and Barrett was there to be hit by it, suddenly fighting in a war he couldn’t win – giving ground in stages now, Barrett was forced to the canvas by right jabs and hooks, a second knockdown moments later spelling the end. So exhausted was Barrett that television commentary incorrectly assumed he had a leg injury.

Rounds five to nine are Rakhimov country. It was during these rounds that he punctured Azinga Fuzile out in South Africa in an excellent fight from 2019; but that is not to say he cannot get it done early. Three of his last six were finished in the first half of the fight.

But there are weaknesses and a hint in 2021 that the distance might be one. His draw with Jojo Diaz, posted over 12 rounds, was a fight he was narrowly winning through nine only to lose the tenth, eleventh and twelfth in an alarming fade that cost him the fight, a fight I thought he narrowly lost.

So, what does all of this add up to? Frankly, a defined stylistic advantage for Cordina which can easily be mined for maximum return. Cordina blew up Ogawa with one punch, a trick he’s turned before with what is a dynamite right-hand, but I suspect he will not want to risk this punch early against Rakhimov; rather he will seek to draw an over-eager and frustrated Rakhimov onto any and all punches while using neat footwork to control the timing of those clashes, which he will minimise.  Barrett did not have the steam to keep Rakhimov off him, but Cordina does. All being well for the Welshman, he can look to up the tempo in the later rounds, the rounds in which we saw Rakhimov struggle against Diaz.

This is all very easy to write and extremely difficult to do. Most of all Cordina will have to deal with Rakhimov’s mid-round surge which he has posted too often not to expect to see again this Saturday.  Once he, as a pressure fighter and a puncher, has a proper understanding of how his opponent moves he can change a fight with aggression and volume and an underrated line in cuffing, shortened punches. The straight read of the fight then would see Cordina out-speed Rakhimov early before Rakhimov dials in through the middle rounds to even matters up before Cordina puts his foot down to dominate the championship rounds and take a decision, hometown or otherwise.

Those middle rounds though may be hotly contested and might be the best boxing you see this weekend, whatever the much more hyped Davis-Garcia fight delivers a few hours later.

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