Joe Cordina fights little-known Jaret Gonzalez Quiroz for the WBO Global lightweight title this Saturday, July 5th, in a 10-rounder at the Manchester Arena, in Manchester, England.
Cordina (17-1, 9 KOs) and Quiroz (17-1, 13 KOs) will be shown live on DAZN on the undercard of Jack Catterall vs. Harlem Eubank.
Mason vs. Noakes Winner Aim
Cordina is interested in fighting the winner of the Abdullah Mason vs. Sam Noakes fight for the WBO lightweight title. Joe believes that capturing the WBO Global title will push him up the rankings with that organization, to where he can be chosen by the winner.
It would be ideal if Noakes captures the WBO title, because that would set up an all-British clash against Cordina. It’s also a more winnable fight for Cordina than going up against the big punching Mason, and having to worry about being knocked out by the 21-year-old.
Cordina isn’t ranked in the top 15 by the WBO at this time. But if he can get ranked, it’ll allow his promoter, Eddie Hearn, to line up a deal. If Mason captures the belt, he would be more interested in fighting some of the bigger names rather than choosing the 34-year-old Cordina, who is seen by some fans as yesterday’s news and on the downside of his career.
“Jaret Gonzalez, the same record as me, but just more knockouts. And I wanted to keep it with someone with a few knockouts. It keeps me switched on,” said Joe Cordina to Matchroom Boxing about his opponent for this Saturday.
Quiroz was knocked out in 2021 by Hector Garcia Dolores (9-10, 6 KOs) in the third round. Since then, Quiroz has won his last five fights against weak opposition with poor records. Looking at Delores reveals the kind of fighter Quiroz is and why he was chosen to fight Cordina.
Cordina is coming off an eighth-round knockout loss to Anthony Cacace last year in May in Riyadh, and he looked completely overmatched in that fight. Cacace’s output and skills were well beyond Cordina’s, and it wasn’t a big surprise that the fight ended by knockout.
Why the 14-Month Break?
It’s unclear why Cordina has chosen to sit outside the ring for 14 months since that defeat. He should have returned to the ring a long time ago, fighting one of the top contenders to come back from that loss.
In looking at the Matchroom Boxing ‘Day in the Life’ on YouTube, it appears that Cordina enjoys playing a lot of golf. That might explain why he hasn’t fought since his loss. Does he already have one foot outside the door into retirement?
Last Updated on 07/02/2025
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