Joe Cordina: Welshman 'gutted' as injury cancels world title defence against Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov

Joe Cordina became world champion five years after turning professional

Joe Cordina says he is "absolutely gutted" after his super-featherweight world title defence against Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov was called off because of injury.

As a consequence, the Welsh boxer, who has had surgery on a hand, has been stripped of his title by the IBF.

"Worked my whole life to become a world champion and I haven't even had the chance to defend the title," said Cordina on social media.

He added: "Feel like I've been robbed."

Cordina had been due to defend his title in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, 5 November on the undercard of the light-heavyweight world title fight between Dmitry Bivol and Gilberto Zurdo Ramirez.

Rakhimov, the IBF's mandatory challenger, had stepped aside to allow the Welshman to fight former champion Kenichi Ogawa in Cardiff in June.

The 30-year-old, nicknamed 'The Welsh Wizard', became Wales' 13th world champion with a stunning one-punch knockout of Japan's Ogawa, and is undefeated in 16 professional fights.

In a statement the IBF said it had received a letter in September from a consultant orthopaedic hand surgeon, Mike Hayton, indicating Cordina would "not return to boxing until approximately March 2023".

The boxing governing body went on to explain a 60-day medical extension for injury had already been granted, which is due to expire on 4 January, 2023.

The IBF said that as its rules did not allow a second medical extension - and Cordina's return to boxing not expected until after the January deadline - it had no choice but to make the super-featherweight title "vacant as a result". This effectively stripped Cordina of his belt.

The relevant IBF rule states in part: "A reigning champion shall not be permitted to request more than one exception to delay a mandatory obligation."