"I'd love that fight!" - Joe Cordina talks potential clash with Shakur Stevenson

Joe Cordina will eye up a potential unification bout against Shakur Stevenson if he gets past his challenge this weekend against Kenichi Ogawa.

If Cordina is successful on Saturday night, he will become the 13th Welsh boxer to win a world title. His Japanese opponent will defend his belt in Cordina's home country, as the fight will take place at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff.

Stevenson is coming off the back of an impressive victory over Oscar Valdez on April 30. He handed Valdez his first defeat in 31 bouts to claim the WBC Title, as Stevenson won by unanimous decision.

Cordina was speaking with SecondsOut and was asked for his thoughts on Stevenson's recent victory over Valdez:

"Shakur is special, he just does everything perfect. Well I wouldn't say perfect, everyone's got flaws but he did everything he needed to do to win on the night. It went exactly as I thought it'd go."

Cordina was then asked if he'd want a unification fight with Stevenson if he beats Ogawa:

"Yeah, I'd love that fight! I'm smiling because me being mentioned in a unification [fight] is a dream come true, but I've got to do my job next Saturday. I've got to win that title and then we can talk. If I don't win it, then that's not on his mind and he's going to chase the other titles. I've got to do a job next Saturday."

The Welshman has to first get past his opponent on Saturday night, but if he can surpass that hurdle, he can look into a huge unification fight.

Despite the American's exciting rise to the top of the division, Cordina is also a highly regarded fighter. The 30-year-old will headline his next fight in Cardiff after only having 14 professional contests.

Watch Cordina's full interview here:

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Joe Cordina vs. Shakur Stevenson - A closer look

As Joe Cordina enters his 15th professional fight this weekend, his current record is an impressive 14-0 with 8 knockouts. The former WBA International Lightweight Champion has a knockout rate of 58% and has also held the Commonwealth Lightweight Title.

Shakur Stevenson, on the other hand, holds an unbeaten record of 18-0 with 50% of his victories coming by knockout. As of May 2022, the southpaw has been ranked as the world's best junior lightweight by The Ring Magazine. He is also ranked number one by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, BoxRec and ESPN.

Stevenson represented the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal in the bantamweight division. Cordina also boxed at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where he qualified for the lightweight event by beating David Joyce.

Watch Shakur Stevenson vs. Robeisy Ramírez here: