Cordina retains junior lightweight title in close call against Vazquez
Combatants go at it verbally after all-action fight; Curiel scores KO of year contender to take Nontshinga's junior flyweight title in upset
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Joe Cordina admittedly did not have his best performance. Far from it.
But he still boxed well enough to claim a majority decision victory against unheralded Edward Vazquez to retain the IBF junior lightweight title on Saturday in Monte Carlo.
They squared off in the unusual atmosphere of a ballroom with just a few hundred high rollers in attendance at the famed Monte Carlo Casino in the main event of a Matchroom Boxing card on DAZN and they delivered a highly entertaining back-and-forth scrap that appeared very close — and left Vazquez believing he should have had his hand raised in victory.
One judge scored the fight 114-114 but the other two had it 116-112 for Cordina, who retained the 130-pound title for the first time in his second title reign after having previously been stripped due to an injury and being unable to make a mandatory defense before regaining it when he returned from the injury in April. Fight Freaks Unite had Cordina winning 115-113.
Cordina and Vazquez both claimed victory and then got into it verbally as they were interviewed in the ring after the bout.
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