Former world champions Joe Cordina and Skye Nicolson are set to appear on the undercard of the upcoming Jack Catterall vs. Chris Eubank Jr. fight, scheduled for less than a month from now. Both fighters are aiming to rebound after suffering the first professional losses of their careers.
Joe Cordina, with a record of 17-1 (9 KOs), lost his IBF super-featherweight title following a stoppage defeat to Anthony Cacace in May of last year. The Welsh fighter has remained inactive since then, a period of idleness not for want of trying.
Shortly after the loss to Cacace, the Cardiff-born boxer declared his intention to move up to the lightweight division. He even secured a world title opportunity for his debut at the new weight class, agreeing to face WBC champion Shakur Stevenson in Saudi Arabia late in 2023.
However, Stevenson later withdrew from that planned bout. He then bypassed Cordina as a potential late-notice opponent in February, instead choosing to fight Josh Padley.
Consequently, Cordina has been kept out of action, eagerly awaiting his first fight at 135 lbs. Nevertheless, the 33-year-old will finally make his divisional debut at the AO Arena in Manchester, facing Jaret Gonzalez Quiroz of Mexico (17-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round contest for the vacant WBO Global title.
Meanwhile, Skye Nicolson (12-1, 1 KO) experienced what many consider a significant upset in March when she lost her WBC featherweight world championship to Tiara Brown.
Similar to Cordina, Nicolson is also aiming for world titles in a second weight class. However, the Australian intends to move down to super-bantamweight, unlike Cordina`s move up.
Given the relatively short timeframe before her bout on Saturday, July 5th, it remains uncertain whether Nicolson`s return will be at super-bantamweight (122 lbs) or featherweight (126 lbs). Her opponent for the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist`s comeback is also yet to be announced.
The undercard also features a domestic rivalry clash at super-featherweight between Aqib Fiaz (13-1, 2 KOs) and Michael Gomez Jr. (21-2, 6 KOs). Additionally, the professional debut of heavyweight prospect Leo Atang is scheduled, alongside a second pro fight for local Manchester favorite Pat Brown (1-0, 1 KO).
