Eddie Hearn realizes that the highly competitive nature of the Joe Cordina-Edward Vazquez fight warrants an immediate rematch.
Cordina’s promoter would prefer, however, to match Cordina (17-0, 9 KOs) against a former featherweight champion from England in a more marketable bout or a fellow 130-pound champion in a more significant title unification fight. Hearn mentioned Leigh Wood and WBC super featherweight champ O’Shaquie Foster as potential opponents for the 31-year-old Cordina’s first fight of 2024 after the unbeaten Welshman’s 12-round, majority-decision victory over Vazquez (15-2, 3 KOs) on Saturday night at Casino de Monte Carlo in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
“I believe every champion should try and unify the division,” said Hearn, the chairman of Matchroom Boxing. “And I think Joe Cordina’s no different. I believe he can beat everybody at 130. Tonight, and the champions might be watching, fancying their chances. But, for me, I love all-domestic fights. I think Leigh Wood-Joe Cordina’s a great fight. But I would like to see Joe Cordina face the champions. Whether that’s a trip to Vegas or New York or outdoors in Cardiff, time to roll the dice in the big ones.”
Foster defeated Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez by 12th-round technical knockout in a main event DAZN streamed a week before Cordina edged Vazquez. Houston’s Foster (21-2, 12 KOs) trailed on two scorecards when he rallied during an unforgettable 11th round and stopped Mexico City’s Hernandez (34-2, 31 KOs) with 22 seconds remaining in their 12-round fight for Foster’s WBC belt October 28 in Cancun.
Nottingham’s Wood (28-3, 17 KOs) announced after his seventh-round stoppage of Leeds’ Josh Warrington (31-3-1, 8 KOs) on October 7 at Utilita Arena Sheffield in Sheffield, England that he would give up his WBA featherweight title to move up to the 130-pound division. Wood, like Cordina, is promoted by the company Hearn heads, Matchroom Boxing.
Hearn felt Cordina-Vazquez was a closer fight than on the scorecards submitted by judges Deon Dwarte and Jean-Robert Laine, both of whom credited Cardiff’s Cordina with winning eight rounds and scored it 116-112 apiece. Judge Jeremy Hayes scored their back-and-forth fight a draw, 114-114.
The 28-year-old Vazquez, of Fort Worth, Texas, seemed resigned to the likelihood Cordina won’t give him a rematch.
“Listen, Vazquez will feel hard done by it,” Hearn said. “He had a very close fight with Ray Ford [a 10-round, split-decision defeat in February 2022]. He had a close fight with Joe Cordina. It’s two decisions that could’ve possibly gone his way. But tonight, particularly, I felt Joe deserved to edge the fight as champion, defending. And I think you’re gonna see the best out of him in those big challenges. No disrespect to Vazquez, but, you know, the likes of Leigh Wood, the likes of O’Shaquie Foster.
“But you have to be better in those fights. Tonight, you know, sometimes you come off the back of two fantastic performances like [Kenichi] Ogawa and [Shavkatdzhon] Rakhimov, I still thought it was a good performance. But, you know, Vazquez was very good, and we knew that coming into the fight. But I think now [it’s] time to test himself at this stage in his career and take those big moments. But thrilling fight, thrilling night and a real close one tonight.”
CompuBox unofficially counted only six more punches landed for Cordina (170-of-527 to 164-of-568). According to CompuBox, Cordina connected with 15 more power punches (143-of-331 to 128-of-405) and Vazquez landed nine more jabs (36-of-163 to 27-of-196).
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.