Kenichi Ogawa to face Joe Cordina on June 4th!
Back in February news broke that IBF Super Featherweight champion Kenichi Ogawa (26-1-1-1, 18) [尾川 堅一] would be returning to the ring in June to make his first defense, as he takes on unbeaten Welshman Joe Cordina (14-0, 8), with the bout pencilled in to take place at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales.
Today we finally saw that bout being confirmed, with Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing announcing the bout would be taking place on June 4th, and would be aired on DAZN.
Today we finally saw that bout being confirmed, with Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing announcing the bout would be taking place on June 4th, and would be aired on DAZN.
Chance of a lifetime for @JoeCordina_91 □□□□□□□ as he goes for the IBF World title June 4 in Cardiff against Champion @KenichiOgawa201 - thank you @daznboxing for making it happen! □□ □□□□□□□ □ pic.twitter.com/0HzlNQPFt8
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) May 3, 2022
For Ogawa the bout will serve as his first defense of the title he won last November, when he defeated slippery South African fighter Azinga Fuzile. The original hope for Ogawa was to have a home coming defense in March, though that bout never materialised, and instead the focus is now on travelling to Wales to over-come Cordina, who will be having his first shot at a world title.
Aged 34 Ogawa is no spring chicken, though this is a bout that could further enhance his standing in the sport, and grow his reputation, which is already on an all time high things to his win over Fuzile. He's a heavy handed fighter who has shown his toughness and power through his career, though has also shown a lack of foot speed, and some questionable defense at times, relying more on his toughness and his power rather than his defensive moves.
As for Cordina, who is getting his first shot at a world title, the 30 year old Welshman has long been tipped to be the new face of Welsh boxing, though has struggled to make the impact many expected to see from him. As an amateur he was brilliant, and won Gold at the 2015 European Amateur championships, but as a professional we have only seen glimpses of his brilliance, in what has felt like a slow burn career for such an amateur standout. There is no denying his ability in the ring, but he has had questions about his power, and he was given genuine fits in 2021 by European champion Faroukh Kourbanov. Cordina has the tools wo be a major player at 130lbs on the world stage, but it does, sometimes, feel like he can't put all those tools together. Against Ogawa, he will need to get things right and will need to get Ogawa's respect.
Given the fact Cordina is highly regarded in the UK, and he's fighting at home, he will likely be the favourite for this bout. Notably Japanese fighters haven't had much success when fighting in world title bouts in Europe, though it is worth noting that in 2019 Naoya Inoue made history, becoming the first Japanese fighter to win a world title bout in Europe, if Ogawa can beat Cordina, he will join Inoue and will be able to make a genuine statement for Japanese fighters. It is, however, a huge ag for the 34 year old champion.
Aged 34 Ogawa is no spring chicken, though this is a bout that could further enhance his standing in the sport, and grow his reputation, which is already on an all time high things to his win over Fuzile. He's a heavy handed fighter who has shown his toughness and power through his career, though has also shown a lack of foot speed, and some questionable defense at times, relying more on his toughness and his power rather than his defensive moves.
As for Cordina, who is getting his first shot at a world title, the 30 year old Welshman has long been tipped to be the new face of Welsh boxing, though has struggled to make the impact many expected to see from him. As an amateur he was brilliant, and won Gold at the 2015 European Amateur championships, but as a professional we have only seen glimpses of his brilliance, in what has felt like a slow burn career for such an amateur standout. There is no denying his ability in the ring, but he has had questions about his power, and he was given genuine fits in 2021 by European champion Faroukh Kourbanov. Cordina has the tools wo be a major player at 130lbs on the world stage, but it does, sometimes, feel like he can't put all those tools together. Against Ogawa, he will need to get things right and will need to get Ogawa's respect.
Given the fact Cordina is highly regarded in the UK, and he's fighting at home, he will likely be the favourite for this bout. Notably Japanese fighters haven't had much success when fighting in world title bouts in Europe, though it is worth noting that in 2019 Naoya Inoue made history, becoming the first Japanese fighter to win a world title bout in Europe, if Ogawa can beat Cordina, he will join Inoue and will be able to make a genuine statement for Japanese fighters. It is, however, a huge ag for the 34 year old champion.