Former boxing world champion Joe Cordina was acting on 'instinct' when he punched another man outside a petrol station, a court heard.
asserted
court → act → station
The two-time IBF super-featherweight champion, 34, punched Jamie O'Brien, 33, when an altercation between the pair broke out at a Texaco garage in Pentwyn, Cardiff, in February, Cardiff Magistrates' Court heard.
asserted
Court → punch → February
The court was told Cordina had been filling up his Land Rover before he approached O'Brien, who had been sitting on the pavement near the exit.
asserted
who → tell → exit
CCTV footage played to the court showed O'Brien proceeding to push Cordina using his shoulder, before Cordina 'punched him with sufficient force to knock him to the ground'.
asserted
Cordina → play → ground
In footage shared on social media, a man dressed in a pink hoodie appears to barge into a second man who was exiting the Texaco store, seemingly to return to his vehicle.
asserted
who → share → vehicle
The second man is then seen taking a fighting stance and raining several punches on his opponent, who then drops to the floor.
asserted
who → see → floor
The pair were arrested after the flare-up.
asserted
pair → arrest → up
Cordina previously pleaded not guilty to two charges of assault by beating against O'Brien.
asserted
Cordina → plead → O'Brien
Former boxing world champion Joe Cordina, 34, (right) outside Cardiff Magistrates' Court, where he is charged of assault by beating
The two-time IBF super-featherweight champion punched Jamie O'Brien, 33, when an altercation between the pair broke out at a Texaco garage in Pentwyn, Cardiff, in February, Cardiff Magistrates' Court heard
O'Brien pleaded guilty to assaulting Cordina and was ordered to pay £85 court costs and pay a mandatory surcharge of £26.
Alex Orndal, prosecuting, said: 'It is the Crown case that Cordina has initiated the confrontation.
'
asserted
Cordina → charge → confrontation
Mr O'Brien had his hands in his pocket and did not present a threat.'
asserted
O'Brien → have → threat
The court heard the two men continued to 'remonstrate' with one another and exchange blows.
asserted
men → hear → blows
Mr Orndal said: 'There comes a point at which Mr O'Brien is entirely restrained by one of the other persons present.
asserted
O'Brien → say → persons
It is the Crown case that Mr O'Brien no longer presents a threat to Mr Cordina.
asserted
O'Brien → present → Cordina
'Mr Cordina moved around the person restraining Mr O'Brien and threw a further punch at him – this is the subject of the second charge.'
asserted
this → move → charge
'Mr Cordina's actions went beyond lawful self-defence,' he said.
asserted
he → go → defence
Mr Orndal said Cordina's defence was that he had struck O'Brien because he 'felt threatened'.
asserted
he → say → O'Brien
He said: 'He then said he punched him in the later part of the incident out of instinct, due to Mr O'Brien's actions.'
Video footage appears to show the boxer punching a man outside a petrol station
Video footage showed the two men in a brawl outside the petrol station
The footage, shared online, a man dressed in a pink hoodie appears to barge into a second man who was exiting the Texaco store, seemingly to return to his vehicle
The court heard police began to investigate the incident after footage of the altercation outside Pentwyn Service Station in February was circulated online.
The trial continues.
asserted
trial → say → February
Cordina was due to fight for the WBO lightweight title in the United States on July 4 before his US visa was refused.
asserted
visa → fight → July
The Cardiff fighter, who has a 19-1 record including nine knockouts, revealed in an Instagram story in June that his application for a US visa had been rejected, triggering the collapse of a July 4 bout against Abdullah Mason in Cleveland.
asserted
application → have → Cleveland
In a video, he said: 'Just to let everyone know that I'm not going to fight.
asserted
I → say → video
There's no injuries, I've had a great camp and I was meant to fly over this week.
asserted
I → be → camp
A couple of days back, I went to the US embassy in London and they basically denied me a visa.
asserted
they → go → visa
I tried to explain certain things and I had all the paperwork to back it up and they wasn't having it.
asserted
they → try → it
'They just basically told me 'you ain't getting in'.
asserted
you → tell → me
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.
asserted
it → become → hands
'
Cordina represented Wales at the 2014 Commonwealth Games where he took home bronze, before going on to win a gold medal at the 2015 European Championships.
asserted
he → represent → Championships
He also represented Team GB at the 2016 Olympics.
asserted
He → represent → Olympics
The Aporia
