Joe Cordina Visa Denial Followed Cardiff Assault Charge

Joe Cordina has been charged in connection with an alleged assault outside a Cardiff petrol station, offering the clearest context yet for the US visa denial that forced him out of his WBO lightweight title fight with Abdullah Mason in Cleveland on Saturday, July 4.

The 34-year-old former IBF super-featherweight champion had been due to challenge Mason for the WBO lightweight title before revealing that he had been refused entry to the United States. Albert Bell is now set to replace Cordina against Mason on the Cleveland card.

South Wales Police confirmed to Wales Online’s Tom Coleman that Cordina has been charged over an incident outside Pentwyn Service Station, Pentwyn Road, Cardiff, on February 27, 2026. Footage circulated widely on social media at the time and appeared to show an altercation outside the petrol station, with shouting and one man falling to the floor.

In a statement, a spokesperson for South Wales Police said: “Two men have been charged in connection with an incident outside Pentwyn Service Station, Pentwyn Road, Cardiff, on February 27, 2026.”

The statement continued: “Joseph Cordina, 34, from Pontprennau, has been charged with assault and threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a public place. He is due to appear at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on July 7.”

Police also said: “Jamie O’Brien, 32, from Pentwyn, has been charged with assault and is due to appear at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on July 28.”

The confirmation comes after Cordina used Instagram to deny that an injury had caused his withdrawal from the Mason fight. “Just to let everyone know that I’m not going to fight,” Cordina said. “It’s not injuries, I’ve seen a lot of [reports] saying injuries, but there’s no injuries.”

Cordina said he had completed preparation for the fight before the issue arose at the US Embassy in London. “I’ve had a great camp. I was meant to fly over this week. A couple of days back, I went to the US Embassy in London and they basically denied me a visa.”

He added: “I tried to explain certain things and I had all the paperwork to back it up and they wasn’t having it. They basically told me, ‘you ain’t getting in.'”

For Cordina, the denial removed a major opportunity at lightweight after he moved up from super-featherweight following his defeat to Anthony Cacace in May 2024. He had since beaten Jaret Gonzalez Quiroz for the vacant WBO global lightweight title and outpointed Gabriel Flores Jr in California in December 2025, putting him in position to challenge Mason for a full world title in the United States.

“It’s out of my hands and I’m absolutely gutted to become a three-time, two-weight world champion, plus fight for a world title in America was a goal of mine,” Cordina said. “Feel bad for Abdullah, but obviously myself as well.”

Bell steps in for Mason

Mason, 22, was scheduled to make the first defence of the WBO lightweight title he won by decisioning Sam Noakes in November 2025. The late change now leaves him facing Bell, an unbeaten Toledo fighter who had been preparing for an IBF lightweight eliminator against Andy Cruz on July 18 at Dignity Health Sports Park in California.

Bell’s move into the Mason fight changes the shape of two lightweight routes at once. Mason keeps his homecoming title defence alive in Cleveland, while Cruz is left without the opponent expected to meet him in an eliminator connected to IBF champion Raymond Muratalla.

Cordina is due at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on July 7, three days after the date he had been scheduled to challenge Mason. Promoters must now finalise the Mason-Bell switch and determine what happens to Cruz’s IBF eliminator path.