On top of a four-fight card at the Casino de Monte Carlo live on DAZN, Joe Cordina defended his IBF super featherweight title, but he was pushed all the way by Edward Vazquez before taking a majority decision.
Cordina had originally won the belt last June with a stunning knockout of Kenichi Ogawa, but was then stripped of the title after being unable to defend within 90 days due to a hand injury that required surgery. Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov took the vacant strap left behind by the Cardiff man, but Cordina regained the title he never lost in April, winning a split decision against Rakhimov to reign once again.
Vazquez was on a run of four straight wins after a tight February 2022 split decision loss over ten rounds to Raymond Ford, but was unproven at world level.
Cordina (17-0, 9KOs) worked well to the body in the opening round, and the second saw a real close quarters battle, with Cordina having the better of it until the closing stages. The Texan was constantly chugging forwards, and was edging into the contest by not giving the champion any peace, and was landing with plenty of punches as the bout heated up.
The contest looked near enough level at the halfway mark, and Cordina had a solid seventh, bossing the action, but Vazquez (15-2, 3KOs) was live, and still in the argument with his pressure fighting. The championship rounds saw Cordina still looking to pick his punches, and although he was caught by a left hook by Vazquez in the tenth, he was still winging in body punches to try to slow the challenger down in a breathless round.
It looked in the balance, with Cordina’s measured work being matched by the non-stop work-rate of the challenger, and as it headed into the final frame, it looked there for the taking for both men. Vazquez went for the jugular, and came out swinging, but Cordina also had success in what was a breathless three minutes, and we went to the scorecards.
Two scores of 116-112, which seemed harsh on Vazquez, ensured the title went back to Wales, while a third judge tallied a draw at 114-114.
Undercard recap:
Adrian Curiel (24-4-1, 5KOs) was crowned the new IBF light flyweight champion, as he scored a spectacular second round knockout of Sivenathi Nontshinga (12-1, 9KOs). Curiel uncorked a huge overhand right that flattened Nontshinga on his back, and the fight was waved off immediately.
Credit:
Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Souleymane Cissokho (17-0, 9KOs) retained his WBC Silver welterweight title, dropping Isaias Lucero (16-2, 10KOs) on the way to a wide points win. A sweeping right hand had Lucero down in the second, and although he was competitive, the Frenchman took victory by two scores of 118-109, and a third at 117-110.
Ramla Ali (9-1, 2KOs) avenged her defeat in June to Julissa Alejandra Guzman (13-3-2, 7KOs), as she took a close decision win over ten rounds. Guzman knocked Ali out in the eighth round of their original meeting in June, but Ali took the vacant WBA International super bantamweight title with a disciplined display. The fight was competitive to halfway, with Guzman seemingly hurting Ali with a meaty right hand in the fourth, but Ali stuck to her boxing and movement, and in the end took a 96-94 verdict from all three judges.
