Joe Cordina, a professional Welsh boxer with Maltese heritage,  aims to retain his IBF super-featherweight title tonight as he faces Anthony Cacace in Saudi Arabia. He is a two-time super-featherweight world champion, having held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title in April 2023 and previously in 2022.

This bout, broadcast live on DAZN this evening, serves as the prelude to the highly anticipated clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship.

Taking on Belfast’s IBO world champion, Anthony Cacace, Cordina recognises the significance of this fight. As Wales’ most successful boxer since Joe Calzaghe, he understands the global attention he will attract as the warm-up act for the Fury-Usyk showdown.

The Cardiff fighter remains composed and focused, aiming to extend his unbeaten record to 18 bouts. Cordina is prepared for any scenario in the ring, whether it involves close-quarters combat, defensive boxing, or a scrappy fight. His goal is to secure a decisive victory, ideally with an early knockout.

Looking ahead, Cordina plans to move up to the lightweight division. While making weight has not been an issue, he finds it challenging to arrange fights with other champions. Despite the bravado on social media, few are willing to compromise financially to make big fights happen. 

He also criticises the tendency of some fighters to overvalue themselves, noting that some struggle to sell out even small venues. Given these difficulties, Cordina believes moving up to lightweight and challenging for a title is a practical path to securing significant fights and enhancing his legacy.

Joe Cordina began his professional career with a fourth-round stoppage of Jose Aguilar in April 2017.

He captured the IBF title with a stunning knockout victory over Kenichi Ogawa in Cardiff in June 2022.

He then had to relinquish it as he recovered from surgery on a serious hand injury that has blighted his pro career – but he won it back in April with an extremely hard-fought split-decision win over Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov and successfully defended his belt in Monte Carlo in November with a majority decision victory over Edward Vazquez.

Although Cordina is Welsh, he has expressed a strong connection to his Maltese heritage. In a 2019 interview with the Times of Malta, he remarked, “It is a weight on my shoulders but it is a good feeling for me to represent the Maltese people”.