Abdullah Mason‘s highly-anticipated return to the ring has been officially announced, as he takes on Welshman Joe Cordina in Cleveland.
Mason is widely-regarded as one of the most exciting young fighters in the entire sport, with the 22-year-old having become world champion when he competed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia back in November.
It was a competitive and entertaining battle against Sam Noakes that led to Mason’s triumph, claiming the unanimous decision victory to capture the vacant WBO lightweight title and extend his unbeaten record to 20-0 with 17 knockouts in the process.
The first defence of that newly-won title has now been confirmed, and after overcoming one Brit in Noakes, Mason will now turn his attention to another, as he prepares to face Joe Cordina on July 4 at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
“July 4th is the homecoming that my brothers and I have been anticipating since before we turned pro. I’m ready to experience all of my city’s support in one building, and I have an appetite for smoke. So if you love boxing and you’re ready for some smoke, then the Wolstein on July 4th is the place to be. It’s a cookout at the Wolstein, and the clock is ticking. You’re all invited to your world champion’s first homecoming, and you don’t want to miss it.”
Cordina is a former two-time IBF super featherweight champion, defeating the likes of Kenichi Ogawa and Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov during his time at 130lbs.
The Welshman lost his title to Anthony Cacace back in May 2024, but has won both of his fights since moving up to lightweight, and now attempts to become a two-division champion by pulling off the upset and dethroning Mason.
Mason isn’t the only world champion that will be defending his world title on the card, as in the co-main event, Bruce Carrington puts his WBC featherweight title on the line against Rene Palacios.
Carrington won the vacant WBC strap with a ninth round stoppage win over Carlos Castro in January, and now meets Mexico’s Palacios, who holds a record of 19 wins and 1 draw from his 20 bouts.
The event is the first in a new monthly live boxing series, The Fight, to be shown onTNT and DAZN in the US and DAZN Worldwide.
