Welsh prospect Joe Cordina feels he’s just about ready to test himself at the world level at 130 pounds, speaking about his future on the latest edition of Matchroom’s Lockdown Tapes.
“Talent-wise I feel I’m at that top level, if not beyond some of the fighters, but I don’t have the world-level experience that they have had yet,” said Cordina. “I’ve had 12- and 10-round fights, but it’s being in with world-level fighters time and again. So for me, two, three, four of those fights at that level, I think I’ll be ready to take a title off of one of the big boys.”
The 28-year-old Cordina (11-0, 7 KO) said veterans like Jhonny Gonzalez and Roman “Rocky” Martinez have been mentioned as possible opponents for July 11 in Cardiff, if that card winds up happening, but having not fought since November, he may fight a tune-up level opponent instead. Time will tell and the team will figure that out.
Cordina moved down from 135, where he’d won the British and Commonwealth titles, to try his hand at 130 last November, when he beat Enrique Tinoco in Monte Carlo. He said he simply feels that right now, he has his best chance of winning a world title at 130, though he feels he can get there at 135, too.
“I felt comfortable at lightweight, like, against Gavin Gwynne; not once did I think he’s too strong or this or that, at the same time, though, he’s British-level,” said Cordina. “These world-level fighters are the same size as Gavin is, they can bang, and they are going to be stronger.
“I just felt that my best chance of winning a world title now is at (130). Don’t get me wrong, I do believe I could win a world title at lightweight, and who knows, I could move up in the future and do it. But at the present moment my best chance is at (130), and I believe that in around three to five fights I will win one of them.”