Max: Cori is so close to breaking through

Cori Gibbs…on a revenge mission at Resorts World Arena

CORI Gibbs – a fighter with moves as smooth as spread butter – gets the chance to erase the one blemish on his 18 fight CV on the massive, May 6 Resorts World Arena show.

The Birmingham 29-year-old faces the one man to beat him – veteran Jimmy First.

In one of boxing’s more bizarre moments, Cori threw away his perfect record courtesy of an ill-fitting gumshield.

In their eight rounder in Bournemouth last December, Gibbs simply could not keep the mouthpiece in. He was deducted points in the fourth, fifth and sixth and came close to being slung out.

Those lost points cost Cori the fight, referee Sean McAvoy scoring 76-73 in the Yorkshire battler’s favour.

The set-back was certainly unexpected. First is rugged, super fit and brave, but the man is 42-years-old. That makes him a phenomenon.

He went into the fight with Cori sporting a 14-0 record, but lost in his very next outing. In March, with the Central Area title on the line, Jimmy was outpointed by Josh Padley – and dropped in the process.

Now Cori, who sprang to prominence by winning the nationally televised 2021 Ultimate Boxxer tournament, has the chance to put the record straight over the same distance.

And this time, trainer Max McCracken will be keeping a very careful eye on his fighter’s equipment.

Of the first loss, Max said: “It (the mouthpiece) went missing out of his bag during the public workout – he didn’t reveal that to me.

“He went and got one from Sports Direct or something like that. I didn’t know he’d lost it.”

I expect Gibbs to show what happened last time was an aberration – and show it in some style.

A former top amateur, he’s blessed with sublime moves and is backed by a major promoter. Whether he has the power to match the magical skills is debatable.

Max added: “He asked for this fight. We’re not underestimating First. At his age, he’s a one off. And this time he’ll have two gumshields.”

McCracken has high hopes for Gibbs, whose brother Tion is also a fine pro fighter.

“He’s a couple of steps away from mixing it with the top men,” Max said. “He needs a couple of good fights, then I think he can break through.

“His diet is brilliant, he’s a really healthy kid.”

Gibbs will shine, his gumshield will remain where it should be – then it’s on to much bigger things.