Joe Cordina: Leigh Wood fight perfect fit for Welshman, says Barry Jones

Joe Cordina is undefeated in his pro career with 16 fights and nine stoppages

When I first met Joe Cordina I had a feeling he might be the next Welsh world champion.

We were having a meal together after he appeared on a boxing TV show with me and Steve Bunce and I was giving him advice on what he should do.

It was August 2015, he had just won gold at the European Championships.

His eyes never left me.

I gave him my advice - telling him it was his duty to speak to every promoter. Don't say yes to everybody because you'll fall in love with them all when they promise you the world.

He listened to what I had to say, to every word. Even though, at that point, he was better than I'd ever been.

And I talk absolute rubbish half the time, I talk a lot.

But within that rubbish is some good stuff and he took it all in. Just kept saying, 'Thanks, Barry'.

I know his family well, his dad's cousin is a friend of mine and he first told me about Cordina, who must have been 13 or 14 at the time, and kept telling me, 'he's supersonic'.

Before Cordina won his IBF world title against Kenichi Ogawa last year, I was Cardiff's last world champion, back in 1997.

For our city, which has had so many great fighters, we've really performed under the world level, but not Cordina - he is a special talent.

He's naturally gifted but that will only get you far. What makes him stand out is that he has the intelligence of a great fighter and his work ethic is up there with what you need to get you to the top.

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The night he beat Shavkat Rakhimov to reclaim the title in April, he showed me he is the real deal.

We found out what he's like when he's taken a shot, how he fares when in a war with a guy who doesn't budge.

What we saw that night was Cordina's toughness, which comes from his upbringing.

'Streetwise' Cordina should dominate Vasquez

I know Cordina's family well. It's a family you don't mess with. They don't suffer fools.

Like me, he comes from a council estate in Cardiff. I was born in a place called Ely and he's from the other side, St Mellons.

They mirror each other in communities but it's also a place you don't walk into with a bad attitude because you walk out with not much left.

You're streetwise. You're brought up well but you're tough, because you have to be growing up in places with not a lot of money around.

That's what makes you an innately tough person to be in a sport which is tough.

The fact he's from Cardiff is why he can be such a big star in Wales - and really this fight should be in Wales.

It's why I'm a little bit disappointed it is in Monte Carlo. As a Welsh boxing fan, I would have wanted it in Cardiff.

It was such a good crowd against Ogawa, a great crowd against Rakhimov. I don't know how it worked out financially but the atmosphere was fantastic and there were real building blocks there.

Now his first real defence is in another country it's a bit disappointing for Welsh and Cardiff fans because we want to see him live here.

It should still be a dominant performance for Cordina on Saturday.

Edward Vazquez is a good fighter who has only lost once. A pressure fighter, technically quite good and strong. But I think he's too small for super-featherweight and won't be fast enough for Cordina.

'Wood fight would elevate Cordina's status'

Cordina is 31. He hasn't got time to waste but he's in the prime condition now to push towards unification bouts and stay busy.

There are some strong names in the division and he'll be keen to prove he is the best. There's WBC champion O'Shaquie Foster and WBO title holder Emanuel Navarrete.

But if he gets through Vazquez on Saturday, the fight that make sense next for Cordina is Englishman Leigh Wood.

If you can get yourself a domestic rival who sells tickets then that's a sure-fire way of earning a lot of money and getting that cult reputation. It would elevate Cordina's status.

He might be the champion but that fight goes to Nottingham Forest's City Ground.

Wood is the bigger draw, he sells more tickets. Cordina is the better, more technical fighter but Wood is someone who can pull it out of the bag at any point. At the moment he is one of Britain's best finishers.

Cordina would be the favourite, he's so big at the weight. He's clever, fast hands, fast feet and has power.