Inked in black across the tanned brown of Joe Cordina’s left shoulder are the words of Isaiah 41:10. It is a biblical passage close to the Welshman’s heart, in more than one sense.
“My parents are both Catholic, I was baptised at 10 or 11, but over the last 10 years, I’ve started properly getting into my religion.” The super-featherweight champion, now 31, is speaking softly as he endures an ongoing weight-cut, while voices buzz all around him in a tall, ornate, busy room in the centre of Monte Carlo. “Look at it,” he says, tilting back his head to motion to the ceiling. “It’s great. I don’t know if it’s real gold, but it looks the part. I’m soaking it all up.”
