Joe Cordina vs Edward Vazquez Prediction and Betting Tips: Cordina to successfully defend his title
Joe Cordina makes his first world title defence this weekend, putting the IBF super featherweight belt on the line against Edward Vazquez in Monte Carlo on Saturday night.
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Cordina is making up for lost time in a professional career that has been stalled by a series of hand injuries - one which forced him to relinquish this title before winning it back through a split decision over Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in April. 519 days after becoming world champion, the two-time super featherweight holder defends his belt in a fight he anticipates being tough but also believes it will prove an insurmountable task for his 28-year-old challenger.
Vazquez enters as a massive underdog, having lost just once through a split decision to Raymond Ford - a fight many believed "Kid" had done enough in to have his hand raised after. Since then, he's won four consecutive fights thanks to the judges' score cards, but this Saturday he plans to dominate Cordina and shock the world at odds of 17/2.
Joe Cordina vs Edward Vazquez Tips
This is a matchup that the bookmakers have wildly overestimated. Their skill levels are a lot closer than the odds suggest. Cordina has the obvious size and power advantages, but Vazquez is no easy target. The American has had success against both big punchers and good boxers, using constant pressure and slick movement to stifle his opponents.
There's no doubt that Cordina is the superior boxer of the two, but the circumstances of this fight require a different skillset from him. The Welshman will be without the energy of a home crowd or a real championship atmosphere in Monte Carlo for that matter. Entering this fight off the back of his two best career performances brings different demands for the challenge of a severe underdog with nothing to lose.
The 130lbs champ has downplayed the lucrative fights that may await him should he win on Saturday night, but the prospect of an all-British brawl with Leigh Wood is something that is likely to have some of his attention heading into this defence. For these reasons we don't foresee this being Cordina's best showing and coupled with Vazquez's resilience, we anticipate this one being determined by the judges on the night.
Even if Joe isn't at his best in Monte Carlo, we do still fancy him to be given the unanimous nod when it comes to scoring this fight. The Welshman has gone 16-0, delivering us his two most impressive performances back-to-back in two completely different fashions. He's proven he can wipe an opponent out, brutally dispatching of Kenichi Ogawa to first secure the belt before managing the rough and tumble of a competitive fight against Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov to win it back.
For his size and power, Cordina isn't a knockout artist. He is a very disciplined fighter with a high fight IQ who is a lot smarter than to just go into the ring and willingly trade with a game opponent if the circumstances don't call for it. Vazquez's pluckiness will leave him open to receiving some big shots from Joe, but he'll also earn the champion's respect in many ways.
Joe himself knows the type of fight that he's in for and so sacrificing future riches in search of a sensational knockout over a fighter who has never been stopped before doesn't sound like the game plan Tony Sims will send him in there with. Through effort and heart alone, Vazquez will have success in some rounds of this fight. Ultimately, Cordina is a class above and will prove that through his output and more effective work in Monaco.
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