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Boxing

Joe Cordina details personal sacrifices in build-up to Shavkatdzhon Rakhmiov world title fight

Joe Cordina details personal sacrifices in build-up to Shavkatdzhon Rakhmiov world title fightDAZN

Joe Cordina has given an insight into his preparations ahead of his fight against Shavkatdzhon Rakhmiov for the IBF super featherweight title on Saturday night live on DAZN (excluding Australia and New Zealand). 

This weekend's contest is the conclusion of a long road to recovery for Cordina after picking up a hand injury which resulted in him being stripped of the IBF 130lb title after beating Kenichi Ogawa last June. 

Now Cordina is ready to win back the belt and continue his quest to become a Welsh boxing great, and to do that he has had to lock himself away in a tough training camp under the watchful eyes of coach Tony Sims. 

"I've said it over and over again to people asked me how long you've been boxing. [They say] 'It's mad you live away in Essex when you're in camp,' [but] I've been doing this for 10-11 years," Cordina said during Thursday's final press conference. 

"When I started boxing at 16, two years later, 18, I was on a GB squad and from then I lived in Sheffield for seven and a half years to improve. I just knew for me to keep away from all the distractions I had to move away.

"And then I was in camp with Tony Sims since I was 18, now I'm 31. I've been living away from home sacrificing missing my kids their birthdays, even their first birthday. I nearly missed two of their births.

"So everything I'm doing now and sacrificing that was for them in the future and he's standing in a way for me providing for my kids. So yeah, it's a big night for me on Saturday."


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