Joe Cordina Stripped Of IBF Junior Lightweight Title

Joe Cordina will no longer be defending his IBF junior lightweight title against Shavkat Rakhimov on November 5.

Cordina has been forced to withdraw due to injury. As a result, the British boxer has also been stripped of his IBF junior lightweight title.

Recently, Cordina (15-0, 9 KO) underwent hand surgery and it seems like he won’t be ready to defend his first major title on time.

The 30-year-old expressed his disappointment on social media after learning that he has to relinquish the title under the current scenario.

“Absolutely gutted,” he wrote. “My (Nov. 5) fight in Abu Dhabi is off due to a hand injury which needed surgery, and to top it off, I’ve been informed that I’ve been stripped of the title.

“I worked my whole life and sacrificed everything to become a world champion, and I ain’t even had the chance to defend it. It feels like I’ve been robbed! Breaks my heart, honestly.”

Cordina won his first major title at 130 by knocking out the favorite, Kenichi Ogawa in the second round on June 4.

The Wales international was fighting in front of his home crowd at Cardiff and with the support of thousands in the stadium, he rallied from the start of the bout, eventually connecting with a right hand to the chin of Ogawa in round two.

The Cordina-Rakhimov fight was set to feature on the undercard of Dmitry Bivol vs Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez and apart from everything else, that card now takes a hit.

The news of Cordina being stripped of the IBF title means there are three vacant titles available at 130 up for grabs after hakur Stevenson was stripped of the WBC and WBO belts in September after not making weight against Robson Conceicao.

The WBC has already ordered Rey Vargas vs O’Shaquie Foster for their vacancy.