Joe Cordina (17-0, 9 KOs) held onto his IBF super featherweight title with an unimpressive twelve round majority decision over Edward Vazquez (15-2, 3 KOs) in their headliner on Saturday night in a fight that easily could have gone the other way at the Casino de Monte Carlo in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Cordina gassed in the second half and appeared to lose the final five rounds but got lucky with the scoring. The judges scored it 114-114, 116-112, and 116-112. Boxing 247 had it for Vazquez 115-113.
Boxing247 will give live updates & results of tonight’s action below on DAZN, which starts at 3:00 p.m. ET.
– In the fight of the night, #12 ranked IBF 108-lb challenger Adrian Curiel (24-4-1, 5 KOs) destroyed previously undefeated IBF light flyweight champion Sivenathi Nontshinga (12-1, 9 KOs) by a one-punch knockout in the second round. Nontshinga never knew what hit him as the 24-year-old Curiel lined him up for a right hand that sent him down on the canvas. The referee quickly stepped in and stopped the fight at 1:09 of round two.
– Unbeaten welterweight Souleymane Cissokho (17-0, 9 KOs) defeated Isaias Lucero (16-2, 10 KOs) by a twelve round unanimous decision. Lucero was cut over his left eye in the sixth, but it didn’t worsen enough for the contest to be stopped.
Cissokho was on the move throughout the contest, looking timid and not wanting to take any chances. In the best moment of the fight, Cissokho knocked Lucero down with a right to the head in round two.
The judges’ scores were 118-109, 118-109, and 117-110.
– In a rematch, female super bantamweight Ramla Ali (9-1, 2 KOs) boxed her way to a very dull ten round unanimous Julissa Alejandra Guzman (13-3-2, 7 KOs). Ramla jabbed, moved & held all night, keeping Guzman from landing her big power shots. The scores were 96-94, 96-94 and 96-94.
Guzman landed the more effective shots, but the judges were more impressed with Ramla’s jabbing, footwork & defense. She was making Guzman miss a lot, and preventing her from landing.
Ramla wanted no part of mixing it up with Guzman tonight after being dropped twice and knocked out in the eighth round in their first fight last June.
This time, Ramla was on her bike, playing it safe, jabbing and holding each time Guzman got within punching range. It wasn’t entertaining to watch, but Ramla got the job done.
IBF super featherweight champion Joe Cordina has a lot on the line tonight when he faces the tough challenger Edward Vazquez in Monte-Carlo in Monaco. This fight could lead to bigger matches at 130 & 135 for the winner. Cordina (16-0, 9 KOs) already has his eyes on a unification next against WBC champ O’Shaquie Foster and then a move up to lightweight to chase the big-money fights. (Photo credit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
Cordina, 31, is confident of defeating the Texas native Vazquez, who isn’t the biggest puncher but makes up for it with his toughness. However, we don’t know if Cordina will be feeling the effects of his long five-month training camp and his war with Shavkat Rakhimov last April.
Eddie Hearn: “Joe Cordina, people are looking at what you’ve got next. You’ve got to be very special to beat him. I think he said that he called you cocky or arrogant or whatever it was. Do you think he’s overlooking you in this fight?
Edwin Vazquez: “I hope he is overlooking me. I don’t care how he is looking at it, I just want him to be 100 percent ready.”
Joe Cordina: “If I get beat, I get beat. I take it on the chin, but I’m going to do everything in my power not to get beat,” said Cordina to Boxing Social about tonight’s fight against Vazquez.
“I’ve been in camp since June. I’ve had a long old camp; I’ve left no stone unturned. Me and Tony have done everything that we possibly could in camp, and we’re looking to put on a performance and show everything that we’ve been working on in the gym.
“I’ll never overlook any fighter. I’ve never been outspoken on Instagram, Twitter, or any of those social platforms. I’ve never bad-mouthed anyone to get the likes or the publicity that a lot of fighters do.
“So, regardless of what he [O’Shaquie Foster], that’s not because of me being brash and talking. It’s because of my fighting. I’ve shown time and time again what my fighting is about.
“If can get a big-money fight after this fight and get through that, then I’ll move up to lightweight. That’s where the big money is, and that’s where I can set my family up for life,” said Cordina.