Joe Cordina talks about sparring a world champion, Rio heartache, and dishes dirt on Team GB team-mates
Thursday 2 February 2017 08:07, UK
After Joe Cordina turned professional with Matchroom Boxing, we asked the Welshman to reveal more about life inside and outside the ring.
The talented 25-year-old competed at the Rio Olympics before turning professional as a super-featherweight with trainer Tony Sims.
Cordina talks about seeking advice from world champions, his love of a certain computer game, and dishes the dirt on his Team GB team-mates.
Were you good at other sports apart from boxing?
I was playing football and rugby at a high level. I was playing for Cardiff schools and Cardiff Blues. Mainly scrum-half in rugby and striker and left wing in football.
So why did you choose a career in the ring?
I took up boxing to stay fit in the off-season. I got on the Welsh squad, had trials for GB as well. When I had a couple of fights and had my hand raised, there was no better feeling, and it was a simple decision.
Which fighters inspired you?
I used to watch 'Prince' Naseem Hamed when the big fights were on and tried to pick little things off him.
When I started getting into boxing, training properly, I watched Sugar Ray Leonard and from there - I loved watching him. It excelled me in boxing and I wanted to do it as a profession.
Will you seek advice from other Welsh world champions?
If [Joe] Calzaghe didn't inspire most of the Welsh boxers, then they would be lying. He's an all-time great. I have spoken to Calzaghe a few times. If I ask him for advice, I'm sure he would give it.
I used to train with Lee Selby and have done many rounds of sparring, so have learned off him. I take note of what he is saying.
Is Lee Selby the best fighter you have shared the ring with?
A lot of people misinterpret the word amateur. The likes of Vasyl Lomachenko and Robson Conceicao were around for years before they decided to turn pro. I haven't fought Lomachenko, but I fought Conceicao twice.
Who were your best mates in Team GB?
I shared a flat with Anthony Fowler and Charlie Edwards. Fowler would eat, leave his dishes all over the floor, then go and lock himself in his room. Me and Charlie would get the brunt of it when the cleaners went mental.
Charlie turned pro, so Josh Kelly came in, and we couldn't get him out of the mirror. I moved in with Frazer Clarke, who is a big softy really. He does the dishes actually!
What keeps you entertained between fights?
I'm good on FIFA. Galal Yafai is a good player, to be fair. We played in the games room at the Olympics.
He plays as Real Madrid all the time and I go as different teams. His brother Gamal Yafai can't live with me, he gets fuming. I terrorised him and he quit the game. I play against a lot of the boxers and not many beat me.
How would you describe last summer's trip to the Rio Olympic Games?
It was probably the best experience I've had in boxing, you can't beat it. For me, when I started boxing, I never thought I was going to be an Olympian.
I would love to go and do it again, but it's the timing and how that works. It was an amazing feeling, seeing all the sports and the different athletes.
Was it a bitter-sweet experience for you?
It was great, but also disappointing from when I didn't win a medal. At first it put me down a little bit and I was stropping around the place and comfort eating. I was eating McDonalds nearly every day.
When I came home, training started straight back. I had a holiday, cleared my head, and got on the ball.
How do you feel about joining a star-filled super-featherweight division?
Great fighters. [Vasyl] Lomachenko, I've watched him since I started boxing. I remember watching him in the 2009 World Championships. He boxed Craig Evans, one of the Welsh boys, and hit him in the first minute and broke his nose.
Gervonta Davis is a young, talented fighter. I think he looks up to Floyd Mayweather a lot, you can see by his style, but he's a great fighter too.
What kind of boxing style can the fans expect?
Very exciting. Some fans might think I'm cocky, but I can switch up. I can fight and I can box. I've got it all.
