It Could Have Been Suarez Vs Cordina
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 12 Apr 2024
Suarez (L) and Cordina (R).
Charly Suarez could have been the opponent Wales' Joe Cordina is facing for the IBF-IBO world super featherweight title unification fight this May 8, 2024 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
Instead Cordina is fighting current IBO champion Anthony Cacace of Ireland.
It could be recalled that on March 15, 2023, Suarez travelled all the way to Australia to battle then undefeated Paul Fleming for the WBC Asia, IBF Continental and the IBO Continental titles the last serving also as title eliminator for the IBO world super featherweight crown.
Suarez defeated Fleming by 12th round TKO in a hard fought match.
That should have made him mandatory challenger to reigning IBO world champion Anthony Cacece but Charly did not pursue it thinking perhaps that the IBO crown is not as legit as those bestowed by the big four. He also expressed his desire to go after IBF champion Joe Cordina who beat him in the 2016 Olympics.
Instead Suarez opted to go the US and fight a certain Yohan Vasquez whom he defeated by unanimous decision in August. He is scheduled to fight again this April 13 in an eight rounder against a certain Luis Coria also in the US.
Any IBO title crack is farthest from the mind of the undefeated Suarez (17-0).
But here we are now Cordina fighting Cacece in an IBF-IBO unification fight.
Had Suarez fought Cacece in 2023, who knows he could have also beaten the Irish and became the IBO world champion.
And perhaps Cordina might have been motivated to fight him too, given their Olympic history.
Or maybe not. Cordina may have chosen Cacece for the Riyadh gig for the Welsh vs Irish angle which is the most plausible reason. Brit against Brit fight sells. So why not try Welsh versus Irish which may also have some historical root of its own.
But then again, that angle would not be as intriguing if Cacece were to lose his IBO belt to Suarez.
So Suarez might still have a fair chance of getting the interest of his fetish, Cordina, given their Olympic background.
Sayang, if you asked me.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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