By Jake Tiernan: Eddie Hearn wants IBF super featherweight champion Joe Cordina to move on to face 130-lb champs O’Shaquie Foster or Emanuel Navarrete next following his unpopular twelve round majority decision over Edward Vazquez on Saturday night in Monte Carlo, Monaco. (Photo credit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing).
Fans on social media are saying that the “hype job Cordina” got exposed tonight by Vazquez, and they’re not giving him any chance whatsoever of beating Foder or Navarrete.
The scores were 114-114, 116-112, and 116-112. This writer had it for the younger, faster, and more skilled Vazquez, 9-3, as he was the better fighter throughout and looked like he was the champion schooling an aging challenger.
Many boxing fans thought Cordina (17-0, 9 KOs) lost the fight tonight, as Vazquez (15-2, 3 KOs) outworked him in most of the rounds, and had him flustered in rounds six through twelve.
The 31-year-old Cordina looked tired & redfaced from the fast pace that Vazquez had set out for him and didn’t look comfortable being in that kind of a contest.
Vazquez was getting inside on Cordina all night, nailing him with rapid-fire combinations. His left hook was a real weapon for Vazquez because he hit Cordina with it all night, and he couldn’t do anything to stop it.
“I thought it was a very close fight. I thought Vazquez came on late in the fight. I had Joe up 6-3 or 5-4 after nine. I thought he won the twelfth round to win the fight by a round or two rounds max,” said Eddie Hearn to Matchroom Boxing, discussing IBF super featherweight champion Joe Cordina’s questionable 12 round majority decision win over Edward Vazquez tonight.
Hearn is Cordina’s promoter, so it makes sense that he would see him as the winner tonight, but the non-biased boxing fans had it for Vazquez.
If Hearn can’t get a unification match for Cordina against Foster or Navarrete, he says he wants to try and match him against former WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wood, who is moving up in weight and will now be campaigning at 130.
That could be a difficult fight for Hearn to set up as well because Wood has already said he’s willing to face Josh Warrington next in a rematch after his recent victory over him. There’s good money for Wood in a rematch with Warrington.
“I thought 116-112 was too wide. We had three neutral judges here tonight with no British judges. I know Vazquez and his team are disappointed. Listen, it was a very close fight, but I had [Matchroom stable-fighter] Joe Cordina edging the fight.
“I think the [DAZN] commentary had it the same way. I guess when it’s a round, either way, it can go either way, the fight. I don’t agree with 116-112, but had Joe edging a very close, very competitive, very grueling, very good fight.
“Listen, Vazquez will very hard done by it. He had a very close fight with Raymond Ford and had a close fight with Joe Cordina. That’s two decisions that possibly could have done his way, but tonight, I felt that Joe edged the fight as the champion defending. I think you’re going to see the best out of him in those big challenges.
“No disrespect to Vazquez, but the likes of Leigh Wood, the likes of O’Shaquie Foster, but you have to be better in those fights,” said Hearn, making it clear that he wants to match Cordina against Foster or Wood next, not a rematch with Vazquez.
“Sometimes you come off the back of two fantastic performances [by Cordina] against [Kenichi] Ogawa & [Shavkat] Rakhimov. I still thought it was a good performance [by Cordina]. Vazquez was very good, and we knew that coming into this fight.
“Now, I think it’s time to test himself at this stage of his career and take those big moments. Brilliant fight, and brilliant moment, and a real close one tonight. I believe every champion should try and unify the division, and I think Joe Cordina is no different. I believe he can beat everybody.
“Tonight and the other champions may be watching, dancing their chances, but for me, I love all domestic fights. I think Leigh Wood – Joe Cordina would be a great fight, but I’d like to see Joe Cordina fight the champions. Whether that’s a trip to Las Vegas, New York, or outdoors in Cardiff, it’s time to roll the dice in the big ones.”
