ST JOSEPH’S star Joe Cordina helped the British Lionhearts maintain their unbeaten start to the World Series of Boxing (WSB) season with a comprehensive 4-1 win over the USA Knockouts at London’s York Hall last night.

Rio 2016 Olympic hopeful Cordina, who trains at St Joes in Newport as well as with Team GB in Sheffield, secured a unanimous victory against the USA’s Bruce Carrington in the lightweight contest.

The 2015 European Champion showed dazzling speed and footwork to and put the Lionhearts into a 2-1 lead on the night after flyweight Muhammad Ali had earlier overwhelmed Gaurav Bidhuri from India, who was boxing for the USA team.

Stoppages by Londoners Joshua Buatsi and Joe Joyce followed as the British team sealed the victory to maintain their position at the top of Group B and guarantee a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.

The Lionhearts only defeat came in the second bout of the evening as WSB debutant Cyrus Pattinson lost his welterweight contest to Ardreal Holmes.

The newcomer looked comfortable until a heavy right hand by the American forced a standing count and opened a cut over Pattinson’s left eye.

A second eight-count in the third round saw the Lionhearts corner make the decision to withdraw Pattinson and ensure the cut did not get any worse.

A replay of the match can be watched on BoxNation at 4.30pm today, 12.10pm on Saturday and 4.30pm on Sunday.

The next home match for the Lionhearts will be against the Morocco Atlas Lions on Thursday, March 17, at York Hall in London (doors at 6.45pm, boxing from 8pm).

The Lionhearts have previously beaten the Mexico Guerreros 5-0, the Morocco Atlas Lions 3-2 and the USA Knockouts 3-2 in the reverse fixture in New York in January.

This was Cordina’s first WSB appearance of the season. Fellow St Joes fighter Sean McGoldrick has yet to feature.

Tickets are on sale now at http://tickets.sky.com/Boxing/World-Series-of-Boxing.

More details on the Lionhearts and WSB are available at http://www.worldseriesboxing.com/ and by following the Lionhearts on twitter at @Brit_Lionhearts.