Boxer Joe Cordina Charged with Assault and Weapon Offense
Quick Look
- Former boxing champion Joe Cordina faces charges of assault and threatening with an offensive weapon following an incident at a Cardiff petrol station in February.
- The 34-year-old will appear in court on July 7.
- Separately, Cordina's US visa was denied, canceling his upcoming title fight.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Former boxing champion Joe Cordina has been charged with assault and threatening a person with an offensive weapon following an incident at a petrol station in Cardiff. This comes as his application for a US visa was denied, leading to the cancellation of his upcoming fight.
The former boxing world champion Joe Cordina has been charged with “assault and threatening a person with an offensive weapon” after an incident at a petrol station in a Cardiff suburb in February.
The 34-year-old, a two-time IBF super-featherweight champion who was due to face Abdullah Mason for the WBO lightweight title next month, is set to appear at Cardiff magistrates court on 7 July.
A statement from South Wales police said: “Two men have been charged in connection with an incident outside Pentwyn Service Station, Pentwyn Road, Cardiff, on February 27, 2026.
“Joseph Cordina, 34, from Pontprennau, has been charged with assault and threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a public place. He is due to appear at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on July 7.
“Jamie O’Brien, 32, from Pentwyn, has been charged with assault and is due to appear at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on July 28.”
The Cardiff fighter, who has won 19 of his 20 fights and nine by knockout, revealed in an Instagram story on Wednesday that his application for a US visa had been knocked back, triggering the collapse of a 4 July bout against Mason in Cleveland. In a video, he said: “Just to let everyone know that I’m not going to fight. There’s no injuries, I’ve had a great camp and I was meant to fly over this week.
“A couple of days back, I went to the US embassy in London and they basically denied me a visa. I tried to explain certain things and I had all the paperwork to back it up and they wasn’t having it.
“They just basically told me: ‘You ain’t getting in.’ It’s out of my hands and I’m absolutely gutted because it was my chance to become a three-time, two-weight world champion.”
Open Questions
- What was the offensive weapon?
- What led to the visa denial?
- Will Cordina face further sanctions from boxing bodies?
