Joe Cordina defeats Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in a gruelling and completive affair; both fighters hurting each other, with Cordina scoring a knockdown in the second round.
Cordina’s work on the outside, was paramount to his victory, Cordina was able to land powerful right hands, both straight punches and uppercuts, against the southpaw; hurting Rakhimov in different stages of the fight. Where Cordina let himself down however, was when he over-committed with the right hand and stayed in the pocket longer than he should have done, providing Rakhimov with plenty of opportunity to work hooks and uppercuts on the inside, and even corner Cordina on the ropes, preventing him from pivoting outside the lead foot which worked so well in different segments of the fight.
Cordina was hurt in the third round, but weathered the storm, and began to work on the outside again, finding opportunities to land right-uppercuts, which Cordina committed to throwing early with plenty of success.
Cordina’s right hands were hurtful, causing both a swelling and a cut over Rakhimov’s left eye, it looked as if Cordina was getting closer and closer to a stoppage around the mid-rounds.
Rakhimov’s head movement had slowed down during the mid-stages of the fight, then picked up towards the later stages, making Cordina miss some of his power counter punches, this helped Rakhimov greatly and prevented him from sustaining too much damage that would have resulted in a stoppage.
Both boxers had proven themselves worthy competitors, it was certainly a tough learning experience for Cordina, and Cordina had shown toughness and survival ability that some may not have expected from him, as he usually doesn’t get tagged very much.
