Joe Cordina has agreed terms to fight Manny Pacquiao on the Fury-Joshua undercard in Cardiff, BBC Sport reports, though Eddie Hearn says it isn't certain.
Welsh boxer Joe Cordina has agreed terms to fight Manny Pacquiao on the undercard of Tyson Fury against Anthony Joshua in Cardiff, but the bout is not confirmed. According to BBC Sport, promoter Eddie Hearn said on Thursday that negotiations are at an advanced stage, adding: "We've agreed terms to face Pacquiao, but we don't know if it's happening."
What BBC Sport reports
Fury and Joshua are due to meet in an all-British heavyweight fight at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on December 11, with the card broadcast globally by Netflix, BBC Sport reports. It says tickets for the main event sold out in an hour. Hearn spoke about the undercard at a media event, and details of the other fights have yet to be released.
Pacquiao is 47 and has held world titles at eight weights. BBC Sport notes that he has not fought since July 2025, when his comeback bid to win Mario Barrios' welterweight title ended in a majority draw. The outlet reports that his record stands at 62 wins from 73 fights, and that a rematch with Floyd Mayweather planned for September was postponed indefinitely in June.
Why Cordina, and why Cardiff
Cordina, 34, is a Cardiff-born former IBF super-featherweight champion. BBC Sport says he was due to face American Abdullah Mason for the WBO lightweight title in Cleveland in July but was denied a US visa. He kept training while standing trial on an assault allegation and was eventually cleared of all charges, which the outlet says has opened the way to a place on the Fury-Joshua bill.
A fight in his home city would be his first in Cardiff since he regained his belt against Shavkat Rahimov the previous year, according to the report. Cordina previously fought on the undercard of Fury's first fight with Oleksandr Usyk, losing his IBF title to Anthony Cacace in Riyadh in May 2024.
A first for Pacquiao in the UK
BBC Sport says the fight would be the first time Pacquiao has boxed in the UK, and the first time he has faced a British opponent since he beat Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas in 2009. It adds that his presence would be a draw for the large television audience expected for the card, while Cordina's role would add a hometown flavour.
For now this remains a negotiation rather than an announcement. No official fight announcement has been made in the BBC report, and Hearn's own wording leaves room for it to fall through.
Picture credit: Matchroom Boxing / Netflix (official Fury vs Joshua artwork)
