Olympian Joe Cordina to make professional debut in Liverpool on April 22
Wednesday 29 March 2017 14:46, UK
Joe Cordina will make his professional debut in Liverpool, live on Sky Sports.
The Olympian will box on the undercard of Martin Murray's battle with Gabriel Rosado at the Echo Arena on April 22.
Cordina impressed at lightweight at Rio 2016 but will make his bow in the paid ranks at super-featherweight under the guidance of trainer Tony Sims.
"It's all new to me but I'm enjoying it," he said. "I wanted to have a change and learn something new, Tony Sims is one of the best trainers out there and I wanted to be with him and in that gym.
"Tony is well respected in boxing and such a great guy, it was a big decision to make but I think I've made the right one."
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Cordina is avoiding the daily 400-mile round trip from Cardiff to Essex by living with three-weight world champion Ricky Burns and only heading home at weekends.
The 25-year-old has already set his sights on following in the footsteps of current IBF featherweight world champion Lee Selby, who he has sparred with in the past.
"I'm living with Ricky Burns in Essex, he's doing the same thing as me, home at the weekends but miles from home during the week, and he's a three-weight world champion. I want to be where he is and that's what I am trying to replicate.
"I miss my daughter, she's only young and I want to see her grow up every day, but you have to make sacrifices in this sport. It's the hardest thing for me to do but I've spent a lot of time away as part of the GB squad so I am used to it.
"I've seen how far Lee Selby has gone on and learnt a lot training by the side of him.
"Lee has gone on to do great things for Welsh boxing and that's a massive target that I've set myself, to achieve great things just like Lee has done."
Local favourite Rocky Fielding will face another Sims' fighter, John Ryder, for the vacant British super-middleweight title, with Tom Farrell and Tommy Carus fighting, and Sean 'Masher' Dodd, Scott Fitzgerald, Paul Economides and Craig Glover also on the April 29 bill.
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