Jamie O'Brien, 33, has admitted to punching former super-featherweight boxing champion Joe Cordina outside a Texaco petrol station in Pentwyn, Cardiff, in February. Cordina, 34, a two-time IBF super-featherweight champion, denied two charges of assault by beating Mr. O'Brien and is scheduled to stand trial in October.
O'Brien pleaded guilty to assaulting Cordina. He was given a conditional discharge by Judge Charlotte Murphy, who heard that O'Brien was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time and was subsequently detained under the Mental Health Act. O'Brien was ordered to pay £85 in court costs and a £26 surcharge.
South Wales police responded to the incident on February 27, leading to the arrest of both men. Video footage shared online appears to show a man in a pink hoodie, identified as O'Brien, barge into a second man exiting the store. The second man, appearing to be Cordina, then engages in a physical altercation, delivering several punches before O'Brien falls to the ground.
Cordina was also arrested following the incident. He faces charges of assault by beating and threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a public place, both of which he denies. His trial is set for October 13 at Magistrates' Court.
The boxer's legal troubles came after his planned fight for the WBO lightweight title in the United States on July 4 was canceled. Cordina stated in an Instagram story in June that his application for a U.S. visa was denied by the U.S. embassy in London, preventing him from fighting Abdullah Mason in Cleveland. Cordina, who has a professional record of 19-1 with nine knockouts, expressed his disappointment, stating it was his opportunity to become a three-time, two-weight world champion.
Cordina has a notable amateur background, having represented Wales at the 2014 Commonwealth Games where he won bronze, and securing a gold medal at the 2015 European Championships. He also competed for Team GB at the 2016 Olympic Games.