Notebook: Cordina's plan is to beat Vazquez, move onto major fights
Ajagba eyes revenge against Goodall; Verdejo gets life in prison; Ortiz return set; Davies-Barroso on Dec. 2; WBA featherweight title plans; PBC, Netflix reportedly in talks; Quick hits; Show and tell
A note to Fight Freaks Unite readers: I created Fight Freaks Unite in January 2021 and eight months later it also became available for paid subscriptions for additional content — and as a way to help keep this newsletter going and for readers to support independent journalism. If you haven’t upgraded to a paid subscription please consider it. If you have already, I truly appreciate it! Also, consider a gift subscription for the Fight Freak in your life.
IBF junior lightweight titleholder Joe Cordina scoffed at the notion this week floated by challenger Edward Vazquez that he is overlooking him.
Nothing could be further from the truth insisted Cordina, who will make the first defense of his second title reign against the little-known Vazquez in the main event of a Matchroom Boxing card on Saturday (DAZN, 3 p.m. ET) at the famed Casino de Monte Carlo in Monte Carlo, Monaco
"He’s a good fighter. I’ve never once disrespected him. I’m taking this very seriously, don’t worry about that,” Cordina said at the fight-week news conference. “I saw in an interview that (he said) I am taking him lightly. Trust me, I’ve never taken a journeyman lightly never mind a world title fight.
“This is a fight that can potentially set up my future and my kids’ future. I’ve got three kids to look after so every time it gets tough, I think of my kids. Without me winning on Saturday, those big fights aren’t going to be there for me, so I’ll do everything possible to get the win.”
A win for Cordina could put in pay a possible unification fight with WBC titleholder O’Shaquie Foster, who retained his title in his first defense last week by comeback 12th-round knockout of Rocky Hernandez and then continued to call out Cordina. There is also a possibility of an even bigger economic fight with Leigh Wood, who recently vacated the WBA featherweight title to move up in weight. With both of them promoted by Matchroom Boxing the fight is a natural.
Cordina has also expressed interest in unifying with WBO titlist Emanuel Navarrete, although that would be more complicated because they are with different promoters on different broadcasters. But, as Cordina explained, they’d all be down the tubes, at least for the time being, if he does not defeat Vazquez.
“He’s going to bring it because it’s a big opportunity for him,” Cordina said. “He’s a good fighter. I watched the fight (he lost) against (Raymond) Ford, and I thought he should have had it, so he’s going to bring the heat but I am ready to match it.
“I’ve got to get the job done on Saturday. I know he’s going to put it all on the line, and I am ready to do the same too.”
Upgrade to a paid subscription for full access to all posts and comments — and help support independent journalism
Cordina (16-0, 9 KOs), 31, scored a spectacular second-round knockout of Kenichi Ogawa to win the IBF title in June 2022, but he was stripped due to a hand injury that prevented him from making a due mandatory defense against Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov, who went on to win the vacant title. Cordina (16-0, 9 KOs), 31, got the first shot at him and regained the belt via split decision in a fight of the year contender in April in front of Cordina’s hometown crowd in Cardiff, Wales.
“People said I didn’t have power. I knocked out Ogawa,” said Cordina, who was a 2016 Olympian. “Then they said I can only look pretty, and I showed I can dig down against Rakhimov. If you come into the gym and see how I train and spar, I do that on the daily, but the Rakhimov fight is the only one that I’ve had to get out of first gear. So, me saying you have to be special to beat me, it’s not being cocky, I believe in my ability.
“I’ve done it time after time as a pro and all through my 180 amateur fights I’ve beaten some great, great fighters that have won Olympic and world (amateur championship) medals. It’s not a fluke. I am the real deal.”
Vazquez (15-1, 3 KOs), 28, of Fort Worth, Texas, has no notable wins but has won four fights in a row since a split decision loss to rising featherweight contender Ford in February 2022.
Underdog status be damned. Vazquez said he plans on scoring what would be a major upset.
“I feel like everyone has their time and this is my time,” Vazquez said. “I’m here for a reason. I’m blessed to be here, and I am prepared. If you have looked at my career, I’ve been the challenger every time and I’ve come out on top, except from that bullshit call. You know what I am talking about (the Ford fight). I’m here to pull the upset and ready to handover a Texas ass-whooping and do what we do.
“I hope he is overlooking me. I don’t care how he is looking at it. I just want him to be 100 percent ready. I don’t want to hear any excuses. Every time I beat these guys that I am supposed to lose to, there’s always some bullshit excuse that comes out, like training camp was bad, my coach was bad, weight cut was bad, something like that. I don’t want to hear any of that. I’m 100 percent ready.”
In the co-feature, IBF junior flyweight titlist Sivenathi Nontshinga (12-0, 9 KOs), 24, of South Africa, will make his second defense against Adrian Curiel (23-4-1, 4 KOs), 24, of Mexico.
Nontshinga’s decision over Hector Flores to win the vacant 108-pound belt in September 2022 in Hermosillo, Mexico was the 2022 Fight Freaks Unite fight of the year. In his first defense, Nontshinga returned home and outpointed Regie Suganob in July.
“I am going to get inside the ring and do what I know, nothing more, nothing less,” Nontshinga said. “I expect a good clean fight. I am used to big stages now and the ability I have to get inside the ring and do the job. I want to give the people of Monaco a great fight like I did in Mexico.”
Also on the card:
Junior middleweight Souleymane Cissokho (16-0, 9 KOs), 32, a 2016 French Olympic bronze medalist, will face Isaias Lucero (16-1, 10 KOs), 27, of Mexico.
Female junior featherweight Ramla Ali (8-1, 2 KOs), 33, a Somalia native fighting out of England, will seek to avenge a brutal eighth-round knockout loss to Julissa Guzman (13-2-2, 7 KOs), 26, of Mexico, in a rematch of their June 17 fight.
Listen to the latest podcast! We previewed the weekend; had an interview with Jamel Herring, who exits retirement next week; covered news of the week; and looked back at notable anniversaries involving Gennadiy Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez. Also subscribe to the pod for an alert as soon as the next episode drops.
Ajagba seeks revenge
Heavyweight Efe Ajagba, who would go on to become a 2016 Olympian for his home country of Nigeria, recalls an amateur loss to Australia’s Joe Goodall in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Ajagba would settle for a bronze medal in the tournament and Goodall received the silver. Since then, Ajagba and Goodall have sparred as pros and are very familiar with each other.
The amateur ranks are in the distant past and sparring is not a real fight. A real fight, however, is what they will have when they meet in the 10-round main event of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN+ card (6 p.m. ET) on Saturday at the Tahoe Blue Event Center in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
“This fight means a lot to me,” Ajagba said at the fight week news conference on Thursday. “For me, this fight is going to get me closer to a world title fight. So, after this fight, we’ll see where we go from there.
“We sparred each other a long time ago. And I lost to him in the Commonwealth Games in 2014. So, that’s the guy I lost to. This fight will be a rematch for me. This fight means a lot to me because of that loss.”
The 6-foot-6, 235-pound Ajagba (18-1, 13 KOs), 29, who fights out of Stafford, Texas, has won three in a row since he was outboxed in a decision loss to unbeaten Frank Sanchez in 2021.
“I’m going to come as beast in the ring,” Ajagba said. “I’m going to come with everything, the training, the sparring, everything I did. I’ve been knocking people out in sparring. I’m going to put all of that in the fight.”
The 6-5, 240-pound Goodall (10-1-1, 9 KOs), 31, of Australia, who recently signed with promoter Lou DiBella, has won two in a row since a decision loss to unbeaten Justis Huni, Australia’s top heavyweight prospect.
Goodall is coming off an impressive sixth-round knockout of Stephan Shaw in July. In Shaw’s previous bout, he lost a 10-round decision to Ajagba in January.
“Efe Ajagba is a tough fighter,” Goodall said. “I believe I’m up there with the top fighters in the world. Being the winner of this means everything to me. Without giving away too much, his only loss was to Frank Sanchez. I watched that fight. Frank’s movement was pretty good. I don’t want to say that I’ll copy him, but there are some things in that fight that I can implement. But once again, we’ve sparred before. We know each other well. So, it’s about executing the plan on fight night.”
In the 10-round co-feature, lightweight up-and-comer Raymond Muratalla (18-0, 15 KOs), 26, of Fontana, California, will face Diego Torres (18-0, 17 KOs), 26, of Mexico.
“It’s a huge opportunity for me,” Muratalla said. “Come Saturday night, I’m going to show out again, and it’s going to get me close to that title shot that I’ve been wanting.
“Hopefully, this gets me to a title fight. That’s what I want. That’s what I’ve been wanting. Hopefully, a victory on Saturday night gets me closer and closer.”
Verdejo gets life sentence
Once-promising lightweight Felix Verdejo, of Puerto Rico, who was found guilty in August for the April 2021 murder of his 27-year-old mistress, Keishla Rodriguez, and their unborn child, was sentenced to two life sentences in San Juan on Friday.
According to the Associated Press, the federal judge sentenced Verdejo following emotional speeches by Rodriguez’s family members.
Verdejo’s attorney said he would appeal the sentencing on convictions of kidnapping that leads to a death and of causing the death of an unborn child.
Luis Antonio Cadiz, Verdejo’s friend, who was also charged in the case and pleaded guilty last year after reaching a plea deal in which he testified against Verdejo, said Verdejo pressured Rodriguez to get an abortion before killing her.
Cadiz testified that before killing Rodriguez, Verdejo punched her and injected her with what he thought was heroin. Then they tied her limbs to a cement block and threw her off a bridge.
During the trial, a pathologist testified that Rodriguez was still alive when she was thrown into the water from the bridge. It was Cadiz who said he made an anonymous call to 911 days later to give authorities the location of her body.
Verdejo (27-2, 17 KOs), 30, who was a 2012 Olympian, boxed professionally from 2012 to 2020. His career ended with his arrest.
Vergil Ortiz return official
Vergil Ortiz Jr. will move up to junior middleweight and return to the ring to face Fredrick Lawson in a 12-rounder that will headline a Jan. 6 card on DAZN at the Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Golden Boy announced on Friday, confirming a Fight Freaks Unite report.
“Headlining my first card in Las Vegas after over a year of inactivity is just what I needed,” Ortiz said. “I am very motivated to put on a great show like I always do, and to show everyone that I’m still here.”
Ortiz (19-0, 19 KOs), 25, of Grand Prairie, Texas, had his momentum dramatically slowed due to health issues and has had just four bouts in the past four years. He did not box at all in 2023.
He was scheduled to challenge WBA “regular” welterweight titlist Eimantas Stanionis in a much-anticipated mandatory bout on July 8, but when Ortiz fainted during a workout three days earlier and wound up in the hospital, the fight was called off. It was the third time the fight was postponed (and eventually canceled), once due to a Stanionis emergency appendectomy and twice because of Ortiz, who has dealt with the blood disorder rhabdomyolysis and had issues making weight.
Ortiz has not boxed since a ninth-round knockout of Michael McKinson in August 2022 in a fight that had been postponed from March 2022 because of Ortiz’s medical issues.
“Vergil is ready to come back stronger than ever to become a world champion in this sport,” Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya said. “He’s got the heart and dedication, and is on a mission to be a world titleholder. I know he will make a statement in this new division against the powerful Ghanaian warrior Fredrick Lawson.”
Lawson (30-3, 22 KOs), 34, a Ghana native fighting out of Chicago, who has fought most of his career as a welterweight, will be in by far his most significant fight.
“I treasure this great opportunity that Golden Boy presented me with, and as much as I respect Vergil Ortiz, this Ghanaian warrior will get his hand raised on Jan. 6,” said Lawson, who has won two fights in a row.
Davies vs. Barroso official
Junior welterweight contenders Ohara Davies (25-2, 18 KOs), 31, the WBA mandatory challenger from England, who recently signed with Golden Boy, and Ismael Barroso (24-4-2, 22 KOs), 40, a southpaw from Venezuela, will meet for the WBA interim title in the Ryan Garcia-Oscar Duarte co-feature on Dec. 2 (DAZN) at the Toyota Center in Houston, Golden Boy announced on Friday, confirming a previous Fight Freaks Unite report.
The WBA ordered Davies-Barroso for the interim title because titlist Rolando Romero is sidelined for several months due to a torn disc in his back and Golden Boy was able to make a deal with TGB Promotions/PBC for Barroso.
“Absolutely over the moon to get this fight confirmed,” said Davies, who will be making his American debut. “It’s gonna be a tough fight because Barroso should be the real WBA world champion already as he was smoking Rolly Romero, but excited to get the fight we were meant to get three years ago in Dubai. I’m coming to knock Ismael Barroso out and become interim world champion.”
Barroso was handling Romero with relative ease and ahead on all three scorecards in their bout for the vacant 140-pound belt on May 13 only to have referee Tony Weeks make a universally criticized and inexplicable ninth-round stoppage in the Showtime main event at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
“I’m very excited to have another opportunity to show that I'm at the world championship level,” Barroso said. “I proved it in my last fight, and this time I'm going to make sure there's no doubt whatsoever. My team has stuck by me through everything and it has motivated me to get back into the ring and make all our hard work pay off. When fight night comes, I'll be ready to have my hand raised and leave the ring with the title.”
The winner could land a fight with Garcia if he defeats Duarte in the main event.
BetUS Boxing Show
If you missed the BetUS Boxing Show live at 1 p.m. ET on Friday on YouTube, please check out the replay (and also subscribe to the YouTube channel). We previewed and picked four fights that will take place on Saturday: Joe Cordina’s IBF junior lightweight title defense against Edward Vazquez; Sivenathi Nontshinga’s IBF junior flyweight title defense against Adrian Curiel in the co-feature; the heavyweight bout between Efe Ajagba and Joe Goodall; and Noel Mikaelian versus Ilunga Makabu for the vacant WBC cruiserweight title. We also took viewer questions and comments and discussed the latest boxing news! Please check out the show here:
WBA featherweight title
On Oct. 7, Leigh Wood knocked out Josh Warrington in the seventh round to retain the WBA featherweight title in what he said beforehand would be his final 126-pound fight, and on Oct. 16, Wood vacated the title with plans to move up in weight.
On Friday, the WBA, as expected, ordered Otabek Kholmatov (11-0, 10 KOs), 25, of Uzbekistan, who was Wood’s mandatory challenger and due as his next opponent, to face Raymond Ford (14-0-1, 7 KOs), 24, a southpaw from Camden, New Jersey, to meet for the vacant title.
In the letter sent to both camps, they were given 30 days (until Dec. 3) to make a deal. If there is no agreement, a purse bid will be scheduled with each fighter due 50 percent of the winning bid.
Also on Friday, the WBA ordered the title eliminator meant to produce the next featherweight mandatory challenger. It notified Victor Morales (19-0-1, 9 KOs), 25, of Vancouver, Washington, who is promoted by Golden Boy, and Luis Reynaldo Nunez (19-0, 13 KOs), 24, of the Dominican Republic, who is promoted by Sampson Lewkowicz, that they should begin negotiations.
They were given 30 days (until Dec. 3) to make a deal or a purse bid will be called with Morales and Nunez each entitled to 50 percent of the winning offer.
Quick hits
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Netflix, which is entertaining the prospect of streaming live sports along with its original programming and movies, is exploring the possibility of doing a Jake Paul fight and working with Premier Boxing Champions on future events. Paul’s next bout will be on DAZN on Dec. 15. His Most Valuable Promotions also has a deal with DAZN for a series of prospect-oriented cards. PBC will be without a broadcaster when Paramount, the parent company of Showtime, shuts down Showtime Sports at the end of the year, bringing to an end Showtime’s storied 37-year commitment to boxing. The Journal, citing sources, described the talks with PBC as being in the “very early stages.” A source with knowledge of the situation told Fight Freaks Unite a deal with Netflix is “unlikely.” A PBC spokesperson declined to comment.
With parent company Paramount is shuttering Showtime Sports in December, the final “Showtime Championship Boxing” card is slated for Dec. 16 at The Armory in Minneapolis with WBA “regular” super middleweight titlist David Morrell (9-0, 8 KOs), 25, a Cuban defector now based in Minneapolis, defending against an opponent to be determined in the main event, sources with knowledge of the plans told Fight Freaks Unite. The sources said the card also likely will include a rematch between lightweights Chris Colbert (17-1, 6 KOs), 27, of Brooklyn, New York, and Jose Valenzuela (12-2, 8 KOs), 24, a Mexico native fighting out of Seattle. Colbert won a controversial decision in their first fight in March.
Weights from Monte Carlo for Saturday’s Matchroom Boxing card on DAZN: Joe Cordina 129.9 pounds, Edward Vazquez 128.8 (for Cordina’s IBF junior lightweight title); Sivenathi Nontshinga 107.7, Adrian Curiel 107.9 (for Nontshinga’s IBF junior flyweight title); Souleymane Cissokho 146.6, Isaias Lucero 147; Julissa Guzman 121.5, Ramla Ali 121.8.
Weights from Miami for the Don King PPV card Saturday on FITE: Noel Mikaelian 196.6 pounds, Ilunga Makabu 197.8 (for vacant WBC cruiserweight title); Jonathan Guidry 273, Jesus Escalera 254; Trevor Bryan 264, Cassius Chaney 257; Hector Bobadilla 152, Alexander Castro 159; Cory Caad 165, Isiah Hart 161; Isaiah Efrain Riquelmy 140.8, Rondale Hubbert 142.8.
Weights from Lake Tahoe, Nevada, for Saturday’s Top Rank card on ESPN+: Efe Ajagba 237.6 pounds, Joe Goodall 233.5; Raymond Muratalla 134, Diego Torres Nunez 134.8; Christian Avalos 134.5, Estevan Partida 134.6; Henry Lebron 129.1, William Foster III; Omar Rosario 140, Angel Rebollar 137.8; Lindolfo Delgado 140.1, Luis Hernandez 140.3; Brandon Moore 234.7, Robert Simms 238.5; Antonio Mireles 268.7, Skylar Lacy 252.7; Charlie Sheehy 134.9, Jesus Vasquez Jr. 134.2; Gabriel Garcia 127.8, Joshua Montoya 127.6; Javier Martinez 161.8, Isaiah Wise 160.8.
Weights from Cartago, Costa Rica, for Saturday’s Golden Boy card on DAZN: Yokasta Valle 104.5 pounds, Anabel Ortiz 105 (for Valle’s IBF/WBO women’s strawweight title); Santiago Dominguez 146.7, Nolberto Casco 148; Jose Alvarado 130.5, Moises Garcia 131; Julio Miranda 114, Dennis Espinoza 115.5; Maricela Cornejo 146.9, Cynthia Lozano 144.9; Joshua Jimenez 128, Nicasio Campos 128.9; Antonio Flores 126, Manuel Gonzalez 126; Merari Vivar 117.3, Grisolda Fabiola Tumax 118; Yamil Luna 130, Ivan Ubeda 129.
Former WBO junior featherweight titlist Angelo Leo (22-1, 10 KOs), 29, of Las Vegas, ended a 2½ layoff with a ninth-round knockout of Nicolas Polanco in a featherweight fight on the ProBox TV card Wednesday at the Whitesands Event Center in Plant City, Florida. The aggressive Leo wore down Polanco, who suffered a left shoulder injury, which prompted the stoppage at 1 minute, 59 seconds on the advice of the ringside doctor. Leo outpointed unbeaten replacement opponent Tramaine Williams to win the vacant WBO belt in August 2020 but lost it via wide decision in his first defense to Stephen Fulton, who had come down with Covid-19 and was replaced by Williams in the vacant title bout. Leo won his next fight in June 2021 and had not fought since.
Junior middleweight Josh Kelly (14-1-1, 7 KOs), 29, will face Roarke Knapp (17-1-1, 12 KOs), 25, of South Africa, in the 12-round main event of a Wasserman Boxing card on Dec. 16 (DAZN) in Sunderland, England, Kelly’s hometown, Wasserman Boxing announced. The fight will be Kelly’s first as a pro in his hometown. The 2016 Olympian has won four fights in a row since an upset sixth-round knockout loss to David Avanesyan in a fight for the European welterweight title in February 2021.
Show and tell
Junior welterweight titleholders Kostya Tszyu, who held the WBC and WBA belts, and IBF titlist Zab Judah were on a collision course. They were regulars on Showtime and even defended their titles on a doubleheader with the plan to match them for the undisputed crown in a fight fans and media were demanding. When they met at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas the expectations were for a terrific fight. Tszyu, the underdog, was a skilled brawler with great power. Judah was a super fast southpaw, who also had excellent power. Judah took control right away and was off to a great start, but then Tszyu dropped Judah with an out-of-nowhere overhand right on the chin as the second round was about to end. Judah beat the count but his legs were a mess and he was staggering all over the place, referee Jay Nady stopped it at 2 minutes, 59 seconds.
Judah vehemently protested what he thought was a premature stoppage. He shoved and threatened Nady by putting his gloved fist toward his chin. He also threw a corner stool at him. The result was an eventual six-month suspension and $75,000 fine by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Meantime, Tszyu had become the first undisputed 140-pound champion in more than 30 years in the biggest win of his Hall of Fame career. The fight took place on Nov. 3, 2001 — 22 years ago on Friday. Here is an exceptionally rare Showtime poster for the fight in my collection.
A note to subscribers
I sincerely appreciate your readership. If you’re reading, it means you love boxing just like I do. If you’ve been reading you also know the quality and quantity of what I produce. It’s one-stop shopping. Read the newsletters and there is no need to search multiple websites or click a multitude of links to get the latest news, opinion and detailed fight schedule. Everything you need is in one spot and delivered directly to your inbox (or via phone alert if you download for free the superb Substack app). You don’t have to hunt for the news; it comes to you.
I believe that is worth something, so while I will continue providing stories, notes and the schedule for free, I encourage you to upgrade to a paid subscription for the most content. A paid subscription is your way of keeping this reader-supported newsletter going and supporting independent journalism. I am beholden to no network, promoter, manager, sanctioning body or fighter. If you have read my work at all during the past 23 years I’ve covered professional boxing you know that I keep it real and that will not change.
To upgrade your subscription please go here:
Thank you so much for your support of Fight Freaks Unite!
Photos: Cordina-Vazquez: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing; Ajagba-Goodall: Mikey Williams/Top Rank; Mikaelian-Makabu : David Martin-Warr/Don King Productions
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danrafael1/
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanRafael1
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanRafaelBoxing
Hey Dan, you consider Judah HOF worthy? Personally I think he's right on the line similar to how I felt about Bradley.
Another busy boxing weekend! Been loving the boxing action that has been taking place pretty much weekly for several months now.