Robert Garcia backs Joe Cordina as an affordable opponent for Manny Pacquiao on the Tyson Fury–Anthony Joshua undercard, giving Netflix another famous name without the expense of adding a second major headliner.

Cordina would bring Welsh support to the proposed December 11 fight in Cardiff. However, Garcia’s endorsement rests partly on what he would cost, leaving the boxing question of how a former super featherweight champion would handle Pacquiao at welterweight.

“Cordina’s perfect – somebody not [commercially big enough to] cost them tens of millions of dollars,” Garcia told BoxingScene.

Garcia believes Netflix wants Pacquiao’s worldwide audience. Cordina offers a way to secure that attraction while adding a local fighter whose asking price should be more manageable than another established headliner’s.

The matchmaking deserves closer examination. Cordina does his best work when he can measure distance, time opponents coming forward and land accurate counters. Anthony Cacace disrupted that rhythm with sustained pressure, leaving Cordina unable to keep the fight at a comfortable pace.

Pacquiao would present a different version of that difficulty. His sudden entries and combinations from changing angles could force Cordina to react before setting his feet. Being the younger fighter would not necessarily protect Cordina if he struggled to read those attacks.

Whether Pacquiao can still produce them consistently at 47 is another question. Cordina could find opportunities between bursts if Pacquiao needs longer rests, making the older fighter’s conditioning as relevant as his remaining speed.

For Cordina, accepting would be understandable. Beating Pacquiao would bring international attention that few available opponents could offer. A defeat at a higher weight would be easier to explain, although a damaging stoppage could undermine the financial reward.

A catchweight could reduce the size of Cordina’s jump, but no such agreement has been announced. Hearn’s proposal remains unconfirmed, with Cordina’s pending court case also affecting his availability. Garcia has explained why the pairing could fit the budget; Cordina would still have to prove it suits him inside the ring.

Liam Smith believes Ben Whittaker’s talent could take him to a world title, but questions how his style holds up against an opponent who keeps pressing after the early rounds. Ahead of the Conor Wallace fight, that remains an unanswered question about the 29-year-old.

Whittaker has been matched cautiously for someone with an Olympic silver medal and extensive amateur experience. His professional opposition has given him opportunities to display his reflexes, but little evidence of how those skills survive sustained pressure from a world-class light heavyweight.

“It’s difficult to win a round against Ben Whittaker fresh and sharp,” said Liam Smith during the panel discussion. “But a 12-round fight, they’re not the same fighters in the back half, the back six. To kind of get to fighters like that, you’ve got to be able to still have the mindset, ‘I’m going to be down after four or five rounds, but then it’s my type of fight.’”

The first Liam Cameron fight gave those concerns substance. Whittaker was having difficulty before both fighters went over the ropes and he could not continue. To this writer, the ending invited the argument that he wanted out as Cameron’s pressure became harder to manage. That interpretation remains debatable, and his impressive rematch victory deserves recognition.

His Olympic experience also deserves a fair reading. Whittaker beat Russia’s Imam Khataev 4–1 before losing to Cuba’s Arlen Lopez in the final. Those results hardly suggest he cannot compete with elite amateurs, but three rounds cannot answer Smith’s question about the later stages of a professional fight.

The matchmaking is harder to explain. Across two promoters, Whittaker has received the sort of gradual development usually reserved for fighters with considerably less amateur experience. At 29, he still needs a world-class professional opponent.

That does not prove his handlers doubt him, but it gives reason to question what they are waiting to see. Wallace can help answer Smith’s concerns if he keeps Whittaker working beyond the comfortable early rounds.

Filip Hrgovic has named a potential rematch as his most desirable fight, rather than a more likely title defence against mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez.

The Croatian did, of course, become a world heavyweight champion in August, claiming the vacant IBF title with a stunning ninth-round stoppage of Moses Itauma.

Throughout their contest, Hrgovic was getting thoroughly outboxed and even suffered a second-round knockdown, before managing to take advantage of a severely fatigued Itauma.

As a result, the 34-year-old fulfilled his long-term ambition of becoming a major champion but, soon enough, will be ordered to face leading contender Sanchez.

It was agreed, after all, that the winner of Itauma-Hrgovic would need to defend his belt against the Cuban, who accepted step-aside money under the condition that he is entitled to an immediate title shot.

From the perspective of Hrgovic, however, a unification match with former foe Daniel Dubois is far more appealing, given that it would present him with a shot at revenge and the chance to claim another title.

Speaking with The Stomping Ground‘El Animal’ highlighted this as his preferred option, despite suffering an eighth-round stoppage defeat to ‘Dynamite’ in June 2024.

“That Dubois rematch would be the best fight for me. And to get my revenge – to get [a] unification – that will be the best fight for me. But we’ll see.”

While Hrgovic, clearly, is determined to exact his revenge on Dubois, he must first defend his IBF title against Sanchez while Dubois, as the WBO champion, is entering a rematch with Fabio Wardley on October 17.