By Ian S Palmer
IBF Super Feathereight Champion Kenichi Ogawa of Japan defends the belt for the first time this Saturday, June 4th when he takes on unbeaten Joe Cordina in his hometown of Cardiff, Wales. The 12-rounder can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Ogawa won the title the last time out by dropping Azinga Fuzile in the fifth and 12th rounds on his way to a unanimous decision win. Cordina last saw action in December when he beat Miko Khatchatryan by 10-round unanimous decision to retain his WBA Continental Super Featherweight Crown.
The 34-year-old Ogawa steps into the ring with a record of 26-1-1 with 18 Kos. He made his pro debut back in 2010 and has boxed 163 rounds since. Ogawa carries better-than-average power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 62.1 per cent and that’s what helped him win the title against Fuzile. The champion stands 5-feet-8-inches tall but unfortunately has an unlisted reach. Ogawa may be best remembered for beating Tevin Farmer by a split decision in 2017 in a fight for the vacant IBF super Featherweight Title.
Those celebrations were short-lived though as the result was changed to a no contest after Ogawa rested positive for Androstanediol. He won the Japanese Super Featherweight Title in 2015 with a five-round technical decision over Rikki Naito and defended it five times. He then fought for the the WBO Asia Pacific Super Featherweight Crown in December, 2019 and left the ring with a five-round technical draw against Joe Noynay.
Ogawa has fought outside of Japan just twice, for the tilts with Farmer and Fuzile and this weekend’s fight is in the challenger’s backyard. Like many Japanese boxers, Ogawa possesses fine speed, has good power and owns a solid chin but hasn’t really been tested consistently by world-class boxers. His lone loss was a fifth-round stoppage at the hands of Yuki Miyoshi back in 2012 and he avenged it with a first-round TKO the next year.
The 30-year-old Cordina owns a perfect record of 14-0 with 8 Ko’s and has boxed 79 rounds since making his pro debut in 2017. Before that he enjoyed a fine amateur career Amateur Career as he competed at the 2011 AIBA World Boxing Championships, the 2012 European Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament and the 2013 AIBA World Boxing Championships. He then won a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and a gold at the 2015 European Championships.
He also boxed at the 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships where he was beaten by Robson Conceição and went 1-1 at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Since turning pro, Cordina has captured the WBA International, Commonwealth Boxing Council, and BBBoC British Lightweight Titles as well as the WBA Continental Super Featherweight Title.
Cordina is 5-feet-9-inches tall and also has an unlisted reach so has an inch edge in height on Ogawa. He doesn’t have quite as much power though as his current knockout ratio sits at 57.1 per cent. He’s never taken on a legitimate world contender as of yet, let alone a champion as he has faced the likes of Jamie Speight, Hakim Ben Ali, Sean Dodd, Andy Townend, Mario TinocoThe 30-year-old and Gavin Gwynne.
Prediction…
Ogawa has good skills and power but unfortunately he needs to be aware that he has to dominate this fight if he has any hope of earning a decision in Cordina’s backyard, or simply knock him out. That’s easier said than done though as Cordina is a fine boxer with enough power to cause damage. Ogawa displayed fine skills against Farmer but it’s debatable how much the drugs enhanced his performance but he also looked great against Fuzile. This is a close call but I think Ogawa’s superior power may be the difference here.
