By Ian S Palmer
Unbeaten IBF Super Featherweight Champion Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov of Tajikistan takes on undefeated Joe Cordina in the challenger’s hometown of Cardiff, Wales this Saturday, April 22nd. The 12-rounder can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Cordina stopped Kenichi Ogawa in the second round last June to win the title but was stripped of it when he failed to meet Rakhimov in November. Rakhimov then got up from the canvas in the third round to stop Zelfa Barrett in the ninth round to win the vacant title in November.
Rakhimov enters the contest with a near-perfect record of 17-0-1 with 14 Ko’s. The 28-year-old turned pro in 2015 and has 91 rounds under his belt at the moment. He fights out of Los Angeles, California stands just over 5-feet-8-inches tall with an unlisted reach. Rakhimov was a three time Tajikistan amateur champion from 2013 to 2015 and boxed at the 2013 AIBA World Championships where he went 2-1 as a light welterweight.
He’s fought mainly in Russia since turning pro but many North American fans may remember him from his February, 2021 battle with Joseph Diaz in Indio, California, which ended in a 12-round majority draw for the vacant IBF Super Featherweight Title. Rakhimov certainly has some power in his punches as his current knockout ratio stands at an impressive 77.8 per cent 80 per cent but he’s also been on the canvas in his pro career.
He won the vacant IBO Super Featherweight Title in 2017 when he beat Emanuel Lopez by unanimous decision and defended it three times against Malcolm Klassen, Robinson Castellanos and Rofhiwa Maemu all by stoppage in the 8th, 2nd and 4th round respectively. He also has wins over Azinga Fuzile and Jimmy Paypa.
The 31-year-old Cordina owns a perfect record of 15-0 with 9 Ko’s and has boxed 81 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 also captured the WBA International, Commonwealth Boxing Council, and BBBoC British Lightweight Titles as well as the WBA Continental Super Featherweight Title.
Cordina measures 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 69-inch reach which gives him a half-inch edge in height on the champion. He doesn’t have quite as much power as Rakhimov though as his current knockout ratio sits at 60 per cent and has gone the distance in five of his last eight fights. He had never never taken on a legitimate world contender before beating Ogawa, let alone a champion, as he had faced the likes of Jamie Speight, Hakim Ben Ali, Sean Dodd, Andy Townend, Mario Tinoco and Gavin Gwynne.
Prediction…
Rakhimov has fine skills and power but may need to dominate this fight if he has any hope of earning a decision in Cordina’s backyard, or simply has to knock him out. That’s easier said than done though as Cordina is a fine boxer who took most fans by surprise when he stopped Ogawa. He’s now hoping to get the title back which he feels was wrongly taken from him. He landed the perfect punch to stop Ogawa and I don’t know if lightning will strike twice for him. It’s possible however as Rakhimov doesn’t own the greatest chin in the division. This is a very close call but in the end I think Rakhimov’s superior power may be the difference here. But I also thought the same when Cordina met Ogawa and he proved me wrong.
