Abdullah Mason To Defend WBO Lightweight Title Against Joe Cordina July 4 In Cleveland

Abdullah Mason will make the first defense of his WBO lightweight title against Joe Cordina on Saturday, July 4, at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center in Cleveland. The bout will headline the first edition of The Fight, the new monthly boxing series from TNT Sports and DAZN.

The Fight: Mason vs. Cordina will air co-exclusively in the United States on TNT and DAZN, with DAZN carrying the event worldwide. The card, promoted by Top Rank in association with Matchroom Boxing, will also feature Bruce Carrington defending the WBC featherweight title against Rene Palacios in the co-feature.

“This is a major moment for Abdullah Mason as he makes the first defense of his world title in front of his hometown fans,” said Top Rank President Todd duBoef. “Joe Cordina is a proven former world champion with the Olympic and professional experience to take him into deep waters. With Bruce Carrington defending his crown and Cleveland’s Tiger Johnson returning home as well, each against unbeaten contenders, this will be a special Independence Day celebration for the city and a fitting launch of TNT Sports and DAZN’s The Fightseries.”

Mason, 20-0 with 17 knockouts, won the vacant WBO belt last November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with an exciting victory over unbeaten Sam Noakes. The Cleveland southpaw, currently rated No. 5 by The Ring, turned professional at 17 in November 2021 after an amateur career of roughly 80 bouts and moved quickly through the lightweight division.

His title win over Noakes capped a busy 2025 campaign that included a fourth-round stoppage of Manuel Jaimes in February, a sixth-round TKO of Carlos Ornelas in April and a fifth-round stoppage of Jeremia Nakathila in June. Mason will now return home as a world champion on the 250th anniversary of American independence.

Mason said, “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, 19-1 with 9 knockouts, is seeking a world title in a second division. The 34-year-old Welshman, a 2016 Olympian, turned professional in 2017 and became Wales’ 13th world champion when he knocked out Kenichi Ogawa in the second round to win the IBF super-featherweight title in June 2022.

Cordina was stripped before his first defense because of a hand injury, then regained the title with a decision over Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in 2023. He lost the belt to Anthony Cacace last May after a controversial knockdown following a punch during the break. His planned October 2024 fight with WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson was later canceled when Stevenson withdrew because of a hand injury.

After a 14-month layoff, Cordina returned in July 2025 with a points win over Jaret Gonzalez Quiroz at Manchester’s AO Arena. He then defeated Gabriel Flores Jr. in Flores’ hometown in a WBO lightweight title eliminator, a fight in which Cordina was docked a point for rabbit punching in the sixth round and was visibly hurt by an uppercut in the seventh.

Cordina is ranked No. 1 by the WBO at lightweight, as well as No. 9 by the WBC, No. 7 by the IBF and No. 10 by The Ring. Eddie Hearn had explained that the fight is a voluntary defense for Mason, while Cordina is a mandatory challenger whose shot has not been officially called.

Cordina said, “This is a massive test for me, but this it’s one that I’m more than capable of coming through with flying colors. Abdullah Mason is a very good fighter, and he’s going to do big things in boxing, but I’m going to mess up the homecoming. I’m looking to come over, rip the title away from him, and take it back to the U.K. It’s a massive fight for boxing, and I’m looking to become a three-time, two-weight world champion.”

“This is such a great fight,” said Eddie Hearn, Chairman of Matchroom Sport. “Abdullah is a tremendous talent and a real star for the future, but Joe has been there, done it and got the t-shirt. Joe showed in California that he’s not afraid to fight in hostile territory and that he still has plenty left in the tank at the top level, and this is a massive chance for him to become a two-weight World champion. This is yet another fantastic fight on DAZN made by Top Rank and Matchroom, and this year, the Fourth of July fireworks will be coming from the Welsh Wizard.”

Carrington, 17-0 with 10 knockouts, will make the first defense of his WBC featherweight title against Palacios, 19-0-1 with 10 knockouts. Carrington stopped Jose Enrique Vivas in the third round last March, outpointed Mateus Heita in July to win the WBC interim title and then stopped Carlos Castro in the ninth round in January to win the vacant WBC belt.

Palacios, ranked No. 12 by the WBC, earns the opportunity after a split decision victory over Sulaiman Segawa, a common opponent with Carrington. Carrington said, “The Shu Shu Show is coming to Ohio for the first title defense! It’s The Shu World Order!” Palacios said, “I’m very excited because, thank God, I now have the opportunity to fight for a world title. I’m not going to let this opportunity slip away. I made a promise to my mother that one day I would become a world champion, and I’m going to keep it. I know Carrington is a great fighter, and he’s proven that, but this time he’s facing someone different from what he saw against Sagawa.”

Cleveland native and U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson, 17-0 with 8 knockouts, will face Christopher Guerrero, 16-0 with 9 knockouts, in a 10-round welterweight fight. Johnson represented the United States at the 2020 Olympics, signed with Top Rank in November 2021, won 14 fights at super lightweight and moved up to welterweight last year, where he defeated Kendo Castañeda and Tarik Zaina before a fourth-round TKO of Nicklaus Flauz in November.

Guerrero, a Mexican-born resident of Montreal, will make his U.S. debut after going 4-0 with two knockouts in 2025. Johnson said, “We’re bringing fireworks to the Land of the Heartless. I’ve been waiting to fight at home for years, and I can’t wait to show out on July 4. Cleveland knows what I bring every time I step in the ring, and this is my moment to put my stamp on the city. I’m ready to represent the 216 and let everybody know who the next world champion from Cleveland is going to be.” Guerrero said, “This is the moment I’ve been waiting for my whole life. It’s long overdue. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to collect a paycheck. I’m here to take what’s mine.”

The televised card will also include undefeated lightweight Deric “Scooter” Davis, 11-0 with 10 knockouts, against Carlos Ramos, 18-4-1 with 10 knockouts, in an eight-round bout. Two of Mason’s brothers are scheduled for separate four-round fights, with Abdurrahman Mason, 2-0 with 2 knockouts, in a lightweight contest and Ibrahim Mason, 2-0 with 2 knockouts, in a super featherweight bout.

The July 4 card will open the TNT Sports and DAZN partnership in the U.S., with The Fight planned as a monthly series involving major promoters including Top Rank, Matchroom Boxing, Golden Boy Promotions and Queensberry Promotions. Mason proceeds into his first title defense at home, while Cordina enters with a chance to overcome the odds and begin another world title reign.