Joe Cordina knows the score.

The two-time IBF junior lightweight champion heads to Stockton, California for his stateside debut as a pro on December 13 against No. 4-rated WBO contender Gabriel Flores Jr.

A title eliminator for Abdullah Mason's newly-won belt, the Welshman - who turned 34 on Monday - is bullish about his chances of ending another eventful year better than the last.

Cardiff's Cordina (18-1, 9 KOs) won and defended the British titles in 2019 before steadily squeezing his 5-foot-9 frame down to the 130-pound weight limit with success, albeit at a belated cost.

Since a stunning eighth-round stoppage defeat by Anthony Cacace in May 2024, Cordina has been left to pick up the pieces and patiently bide time waiting for another showcase opportunity.

His leverage disappeared overnight, questions over durability resurfaced while a surprise split from trainer/manager Tony Sims only complicated matters before a proposed WBC title shot against Shakur Stevenson that October.

Cordina's short-lived coaching spell with Barry Smith at the Ben Davison Performance Centre was worsened by Stevenson suffering a torn knuckle tendon in his right hand, nixing that marquee opportunity a month out.

Over 15 months and one deceptively tough win over big-punching Mexican hopeful Jaret Gonzalez Quiroz later, he's back in a bigger slot against a younger, hometown fighter keen to notch a career-best victory at his expense.

While the 25-year-old is busy drumming up interest to sell his final allotment of tickets, supporters are aware of the stakes.

"This is the type of matchup that either launches you into the world title conversation or sends you all the way back the line. Cordina brings exactly the kind of action fans want to see - a win doesn't just add a belt to the collection, it changes how the entire division has to speak on Flores' name," read an excerpt from one Instagram post last week, almost rallying the troops before battle.

Cordina is facing someone almost a decade his junior, on away turf, and has already had lucrative opportunities fall through this year - including a spot on the Chris Eubank Jr-Conor Benn undercard in April.

This also represents the final fight on his latest Matchroom deal, with the lure and jeopardy of what's to come in 2026, depending on how he performs next weekend.

Back home and aligned with long-term confidant Gary Lockett, reassured about his ambition and desire to reach the top once more, it's exactly the sort of fight Cordina has longed for, even if Flores isn't a household name.

He previously told reporters of his desire to secure his family's future, which hasn't yet been satisfied, while the lengthy inactive periods have only exacerbated that earning potential.

Spencer Brown, Cordina's manager and advisor for a spell after his split from Sims, told The Ring the Welshman's reunion with Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn felt inevitable.

"Joe's back where he should've been in the first place with Eddie," he said. "He tried new things, it didn't work, they had been working together for so long - then distanced themselves from one another - it's like an old girlfriend. Sometimes you split and think, 'I never should have done that, go back and give it another go.'

"When I first started talking to him, he was gonna give the game up. A few things went wrong before the Cacace fight ... but he's a dedicated kid, deserves this chance now [against Flores], will win convincingly and put himself in the world title conversation again.

"I think Joe was just disillusioned, we tried to get fights everywhere else - Shakur fell through - there were a couple of other big fights nailed on too afterwards that never came to fruition and he waited a while. Eddie will put him where he deserves to be now."

When asked whether he thought of retiring, Cordina told The Ring: "The only time I thought about it was when I snapped my hand, had 18 months out and snapped it again two fights later. That was the only time I thought 'is it ever going to be the same?' This time it was different, always in the gym and have been, even with the long layoff.

"It's quite difficult. I'm the sole provider in my house, have three kids to look after, my wife is a full-time mother who looks after my house and makes sure everything is sorted.

"I'm well looked after but when you haven't got money coming in for a year-and-a-half, it makes you think: 'have I got to go and get a job?' Lucky for me, I'm in a decent position but all those things start going through your head."