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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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LAS VEGAS, NV — The first meeting between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan last September at Madison Square Garden was punctuated with drama before the first punch was thrown. When the smoke cleared, Mayer had become a world-title-holder in a second weight class, taking away Ryan’s WBO welterweight belt via a majority decision in a fan-friendly fight.
The rematch tonight at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas was another fan-friendly fight. There were furious exchanges in several rounds and the crowd awarded both gladiators a standing ovation at the finish.
Mayer dominated the first half of the fight and held on to win by a unanimous decision. But Sandy Ryan came on strong beginning in round seven, and although Mayer was the deserving winner, the scores favoring her (98-92 and 97-93 twice) fail to reflect the competitiveness of the match-up. This is the best rivalry in women’s boxing aside from Taylor-Serrano.
Mayer, 34, improved to 21-2 (5). Up next, she hopes, in a unification fight with Lauren Price who outclassed Natasha Jonas earlier this month and currently holds the other meaningful pieces of the 147-pound puzzle. Sandy Ryan, 31, the pride of Derby, England, falls to 7-3-1.
Co-Feature
In his first defense of his WBO world welterweight title (acquired with a brutal knockout of Giovani Santillan after the title was vacated by Terence Crawford), Atlanta’s Brian Norman Jr knocked out Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas in the third round. A three-punch combination climaxed by a short left hook sent Cuevas staggering into a corner post. He got to his feet before referee Thomas Taylor started the count, but Taylor looked in Cuevas’s eyes and didn’t like what he saw and brought the bout to a halt.
The stoppage, which struck some as premature, came with one second remaining in the third stanza.
A second-generation prizefighter (his father was a fringe contender at super middleweight), the 24-year-old Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) is currently boxing’s youngest male title-holder. It was only the second pro loss for Cuevas (27-2-1) whose lone previous defeat had come early in his career in a 6-rounder he lost by split decision.
Other Bouts
In a career-best performance, 27-year-old Brooklyn featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) blasted out Jose Enrique Vivas (23-4) in the third round.
Carrington, who was named the Most Outstanding Boxer at the 2019 U.S. Olympic Trials despite being the lowest-seeded boxer in his weight class, decked Vivas with a right-left combination near the end of the second round. Vivas barely survived the round and was on a short leash when the third stanza began. After 53 seconds of round three, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough and waived it off. Vivas hadn’t previously been stopped.
Cleveland welterweight Tiger Johnson, a Tokyo Olympian, scored a fifth-round stoppage over San Antonio’s Kendo Castaneda. Johnson assumed control in the fourth round and sent Castaneda to his knees twice with body punches in the next frame. The second knockdown terminated the match. The official time was 2:00 of round five.
Johnson advanced to 15-0 (7 KOs). Castenada declined to 21-9.
Las Vegas junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) blasted out Stockton, California’s Giovanni Gonzalez in the second round. Vargas brought the bout to a sudden conclusion with a sweeping left hook that knocked Gonzalez out cold. The end came at the 2:00 minute mark of round two.
Gonzalez brought a 20-7-2 record which was misleading as 18 of his fights were in Tijuana where fights are frequently prearranged. However, he wasn’t afraid to trade with Vargas and paid the price.
Emiliano Vargas, with his matinee idol good looks and his boxing pedigree – he is the son of former U.S. Olympian and two-weight world title-holder “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas – is highly marketable and has the potential to be a cross-over star.
Eighteen-year-old Newark bantamweight Emmanuel “Manny” Chance, one of Top Rank’s newest signees, won his pro debut with a four-round decision over So Cal’s Miguel Guzman. Chance won all four rounds on all three cards, but this was no runaway. He left a lot of room for improvement.
There was a long intermission before the co-main and again before the main event, but the tedium was assuaged by a moving video tribute to George Foreman.
Photos credit: Al Applerose
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William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0
No surprise, once again William Zepeda eked out a win over the clever and resilient Tevin Farmer to remain undefeated and retain a regional lightweight title on Saturday.
There were no knockdowns in this rematch.
The Mexican punching machine Zepeda (33-0, 17 KOs) once more sought to overwhelm Farmer (33-8-1, 9 KOs) with a deluge of blows. This rematch by Golden Boy Promotions took place in the famous beach resort area of Cancun, Mexico.
It was a mere four months ago that both first clashed in Saudi Arabia with their vastly difference styles. This time the tropical setting served as the background which suited Zepeda and his lawnmower assaults. The Mexican fans were pleased.
Nothing changed in their second meeting.
Zepeda revved up the body assault and Farmer moved around casually to his right while fending off the Mexican fighter’s attacks. By the fourth round Zepeda was able to cut off Farmer’s escape routes and targeted the body with punishing shots.
The blows came in bunches.
In the fifth round Zepeda blasted away at Farmer who looked frantic for an escape. The body assault continued with the Mexican fighter pouring it on and Farmer seeming to look ready to quit. When the round ended, he waved off his corner’s appeals to stop.
Zepeda continued to dominate the next few rounds and then Farmer began rallying. At first, he cleverly smothered Zepeda’s body attacks and then began moving and hitting sporadically. It forced the Mexican fighter to pause and figure out the strategy.
Farmer, a Philadelphia fighter, showed resiliency especially when it was revealed he had suffered a hand injury.
During the last three rounds Farmer dug down deep and found ways to score and not get hit. It was Boxing 101 and the Philly fighter made it work.
But too many rounds had been put in the bank by Zepeda. Despite the late rally by Farmer one judge saw it 114-114, but two others scored it 116-112 and 115-113 for Zepeda who retains his interim lightweight title and place at the top of the WBC rankings.
“I knew he was a difficult fighter. This time he was even more difficult,” said Zepeda.
Farmer was downtrodden about another loss but realistic about the outcome and starting slow.
“But I dominated the last rounds,” said Farmer.
Zepeda shrugged at the similar outcome as their first encounter.
“I’m glad we both put on a great show,” said Zepeda.
Female Flyweight Battle
Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle edged past Texas fighter Marlen Esparza to win their showdown at flyweight by split decision after 10 rounds.
Valle moved up two weight divisions to meet Esparza who was slightly above the weight limit. Both showed off their contrasting styles and world class talent.
Esparza, a former unified flyweight world titlist, stayed in the pocket and was largely successful with well-placed jabs and left hooks. She repeatedly caught Valle in-between her flurries.
The current minimumweight world titlist changed tactics and found more success in the second half of the fight. She forced Esparza to make the first moves and that forced changes that benefited her style.
Neither fighter could take over the fight.
After 10 rounds one judge saw Esparza the winner 96-94, but two others saw Valle the winner 97-93 twice.
Will Valle move up and challenge the current undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela Fundora? That’s the question.
Valle currently holds the WBC minimumweight world title.
Puerto Rico vs Mexico
Oscar Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs), the WBO, WBA minimumweight titlist, knocked out Mexico’s Edwin Cano (13-3-1, 4 KOs) with a flurry of body shots at 1:12 of the fifth round.
Collazo dominated with a relentless body attack the Mexican fighter could not defend. It was the Puerto Rican fighter’s fifth consecutive title defense.
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Rematches are the bedrock for prizefighting.
Return battles between rival boxers always means their first encounter was riveting and successful at the box office.
Six months after their first brutal battle Mikaela Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) and Sandy Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) will slug it out again for the WBO welterweight world title this time on Saturday, March 29, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.
ESPN will show the Top Rank card live.
“It’s important for women’s boxing to have these rivalries and this is definitely up there as one of the top ones,” Mayer told the BBC.
If you follow Mayer’s career you know that somehow drama follows. Whether its back-and-forth beefs with fellow American fighters or controversial judging due to nationalism in countries abroad. The Southern California native who now trains in Las Vegas knows how to create the drama.
For female fighters self-promotion is a necessity.
Most boxing promoters refuse to step out of the usual process set for male boxers, not for female boxers. Things remain the same and have been for the last 70 years. Social media has brought changes but that has made promoters do even less.
No longer are there press conferences, instead announcements are made on social media to be drowned among the billions of other posts. It is not killing but diluting interest in the sport.
Women innately present a different advantage that few if any promoters are recognizing. So far in the past 25 years I have only seen two or three promoters actually ignite interest in female fighters. They saw the advantages and properly boosted interest in the women.
The fight breakdown
Mayer has won world titles in the super featherweight and now the welterweight division. Those are two vastly different weight classes and prove her fighting abilities are based on skill not power or size.
Coaching Mayer since amateurs remains Al Mitchell and now Kofi Jantuah who replaced Kay Koroma the current trainer for Sandy Ryan.
That was the reason drama ignited during their first battle. Then came someone tossing paint at Ryan the day of their first fight.
More drama.
During their first fight both battled to control the initiative with Mayer out-punching the British fighter by a slender margin. It was a back-and-forth struggle with each absorbing blows and retaliating immediately.
New York City got its money’s worth.
Ryan had risen to the elite level rapidly since losing to Erica Farias three years ago. Though she was physically bigger and younger, she was out-maneuvered and defeated by the wily veteran from Argentina. In the rematch, however, Ryan made adjustments and won convincingly.
Can she make adjustments from her defeat to Mayer?
“I wanted the rematch straight away,” said Ryan on social media. “I’ve come to America again.”
Both fighters have size and reach. In their first clash it was evident that conditioning was not a concern as blows were fired nonstop in bunches. Mayer had the number of punches landed advantage and it unfolded with the judges giving her a majority decision win.
That was six months ago. Can she repeat the outcome?
Mayer has always had boiler-oven intensity. It’s not fake. Since her amateur days the slender Southern California blonde changes disposition all the way to red when lacing up the gloves. It’s something that can’t be taught.
Can she draw enough of that fire out again?
“I didn’t have to give her this rematch. I could have just sat it out, waited for Lauren Price to unify and fought for undisputed or faced someone else,” said Mayer to BBC. “That’s not the fighter I am though.”
Co-Main in Las Vegas
The co-main event pits Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) facing Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) in a contest for the WBO welterweight title.
Norman, 24, was last seen a year ago dissecting a very good welterweight in Giovani Santillan for a knockout win in San Diego. He showed speed, skill and power in defeating Santillan in his hometown.
Cuevas has beaten some solid veteran talent but this will be his big test against Norman and his first attempt at winning a world title.
Also on the Top Rank card will be Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Emiliano Vargas, the son of Fernando Vargas, in separate bouts.
Golden Boy in Cancun
A rematch between undefeated William “Camaron” Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) and ex-champ Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) headlines the lightweight match on Saturday March 29, at Cancun, Mexico.
In their first encounter Zepeda was knocked down in the fourth round but rallied to win a split-decision over Farmer. It showed the flaws in Zepeda’s tornado style.
DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also includes a clash between Yokasta Valle the WBC minimumweight world titlist who is moving up to flyweight to face former flyweight champion Marlen Esparza.
Both Valle and Esparza have fast hands.
Valle is excellent darting in and out while Esparza has learned how to fight inside. It’s a toss-up fight.
Fights to Watch
Fri. DAZN 12 p.m. Cameron Vuong (7-0) vs Jordan Flynn (11-0-1); Pat Brown (0-0) vs Federico Grandone (7-4-2).
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. William Zepeda (32-0) vs Tevin Farmer (33-7-1); Yokasta Valle (32-3) vs Marlen Esparza (15-2).
Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Mikaela Mayer (20-2) vs Sandy Ryan (7-2-1); Brian Norman Jr. (26-0) vs Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1).
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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Featured Articles2 weeks agoA Fresh Face on the Boxing Scene, Bryce Mills Faces His Toughest Test on Friday
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