Joe Cordina to Move Up to Lightweight After Shock Defeat
In a surprising turn of events, Eddie Hearn has confirmed that Joe Cordina will be moving up to the lightweight division after losing his IBF junior lightweight title to Anthony Cacace in a stunning upset on Saturday night.
There were doubts surrounding Cordina’s ability to make the 130-pound junior lightweight limit prior to the fight, as a video emerged of the Welshman appearing drained while stepping onto the scales. Cordina had enjoyed a solid run at junior lightweight, but he was ultimately stopped by Cacace in one of the biggest surprises of the year so far.
“For Joe [Cordina], the difficulty with staying at 130 was how long can you stay there,” Hearn stated. “Now that he’s suffered that defeat, he’ll definitely be moving to 135, and congratulations to Cacace. It was a very impressive, powerful performance from him.”
The decisive moment in the fight came in the third round, when Cacace landed a devastating left hook on Cordina after the break. Hearn believes this shot was a crucial factor, as Cordina never fully recovered from the impact.
“You hate saying it after, but he hit Cordina after the break and Cordina never really recovered, but Cacace continuously hurt him,” Hearn added.
While a rematch with Cacace was initially rumored, Hearn has now confirmed that Cordina will be moving up to the 135-pound lightweight division, where he will look to bounce back from this unexpected defeat.
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