Anthony Cacace shocks, drops and stops Joe Cordina to win IBF super-featherweight title | Boxing News

Belfast’s Anthony Cacace scored a serious shock when he toppled Joe Cordina to win the IBF super-featherweight title on the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk undercard.

Fury and Usyk meet to resolve the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world tonight on the Kingdom Enviornment in Riyadh, reside on Sky Sports activities Field Workplace.

Cacace performed a starring function on the undercard as he grew to become a brand new and sudden world champion.

Cacace subjected him to sustained punishment to pressure a stoppage within the eighth spherical and he celebrated jubilantly when the referee waved off the competition.

Within the third spherical a large left hook shocked Cordina. The Welshman went on evasive manouvres however couldn’t get himself clear. An enormous proper disconnected him for a second, planting him face-first on the canvas.

In all kinds of hazard, Cordina obtained by means of the spherical. He confirmed his high quality the place he might, touchdown punches. However he could not get away from Cacace, who discovered hurtful uppercuts and continued mixtures.

In the beginning of the eighth spherical Cacace pounced once more. He had Cordina on the ropes, beneath a barrage of punches earlier than the referee intervened.

“I’m in shock. No person gave me an opportunity to do that right here,” Cacace declared.

“Joe is a hell of a competitor, Olympian, two-time world champion, however tonight I used to be hurting him with each single shot.”

Jai Opetaia, stripped of the IBF cruiserweight title for taking an interim contest reasonably than his necessary challenger, received again his belt when he secured a repeat victory over Mairis Briedis.

But it surely was one other arduous combat.

Their first one had been brutal, with Opetaia changing into a world champion for the primary time when he beat Briedis regardless of sustaining a damaged jaw in 2022.

There wasn’t a thunderous begin to the rematch with Australia’s Opetaia having to choose off Briedis with speedy, long-range assaults.

The Latvian at all times made him work and a sudden proper, only for an prompt, appeared to stun Opetaia. However the Australian was touchdown arduous photographs himself, drawing blood from Briedis’ nostril.

Briedis made the combat thrilling with a late cost. He poured ahead and put stress on Opetaia. His assaults marked up the Australian badly and compelled Opetaia backwards.

The Latvian stored the assault up by means of the closing rounds, marking up Opetaia however the latter was too far forward. Opetaia received a unanimous choice, 117-111 and 116-112 twice.

Undefeated former European heavyweight champion Agit Kabayel racked up a second spectacular victory in a row, handing first skilled defeats to Arslanbek Makhmudov in December and now Frank Sanchez.

He diligently walked the “Cuban Flash” down, placing together assaults. Sanchez’s backpedalling grew to become much less and fewer efficient.

Kabayel chipped away at his resistance, cleverly thumping physique photographs into Sanchez. He dropped the Cuban within the seventh spherical.

Wearily Sanchez clambered again to his ft however he was sucking in air and Kabayel put bodywork in as soon as once more, sending the Cuban again to the canvas and ending the combat.

19-year-old heavyweight prospect Moses Itauma felled Ilja Mezencev, the southpaw thumping a proper excessive of an alternate.

It put the German over and though he hauled himself upright, Mezencev’s legs have been wobbling terribly beneath him and he needed to be stopped, simply 50 seconds into the second spherical.

Mark Chamberlain put in a vicious end when it promptly took out Joshua Wahab within the first spherical.

He landed a close to good southpaw left cross to smash Wahab off his ft.

Wahab regathered himself however Chamberlain was cruel, a left cross cannoned him again over and ended the combat.

Sergey Kovalev was a fearsome light-heavyweight world champion in his prime. However at 41 years previous and after two years out of the game, he couldn’t recapture the menace of previous.

Little recognized Swede Robin Safar harried him all through their 10-rounder, undeterred by the drained photographs Kovalev clipped him with. Lastly within the final spherical a proper hook smashed Kovalev over on his again.

Kovalev rose, saved by the ultimate bell, however Safar was a transparent unanimous choice victor.

Rising cruiserweight David Nyika additionally picked up a stoppage victory, directing Michael Seitz right into a nook earlier than clubbing a proper over and bundling the German down for a end inside 4 rounds.

Towering Ukrainian light-heavyweight Daniel Lapin made quick work of Octavio Pudivtr, forcing him again earlier than dispatching him with a vicious flurry.

Isaac Lowe took a transparent win to open the present, dropping Hasibullah Ahmadi with a left hook on his strategy to a 97-92 factors win over 10 rounds.

It is one of many largest sporting occasions in a era. Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk collide for the undisputed world heavyweight championship on Saturday Might 18, reside on Sky Sports activities Field Workplace. E book the combat now.