{"id":135715,"date":"2026-05-05T14:20:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T19:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=135715"},"modified":"2026-05-05T14:20:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T19:20:27","slug":"abdullah-mason-returns-home-for-lightweight-world-title-defense-against-joe-cordina-july-4-at-clevelands-wolstein-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=135715","title":{"rendered":"Abdullah Mason Returns Home for Lightweight World Title Defense against Joe Cordina July 4 at Cleveland\u2019s Wolstein Center"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1545664804358300\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block; text-align: center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1545664804358300\" data-ad-slot=\"8616314829\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=135715\" rel=\"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=135715\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-135716 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/thumbnail-1-300x169.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/thumbnail-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/thumbnail-1-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/thumbnail-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/thumbnail-1.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Boxing\u2019s youngest world champion is set to make his first defense in front of a hometown crowd on the 250th anniversary of American independence as part of TNT Sports and DAZN\u2019s inaugural The Fight event, a new monthly live boxing series.<\/p>\n<p>Abdullah Mason will defend his WBO lightweight world title against Welsh former world champion Joe Cordina on Saturday, July 4 at Cleveland\u2019s Wolstein Center.<\/p>\n<p>The Fight: Mason vs. Cordina will be broadcast on TNT and DAZN co-exclusively in the US and on DAZN Worldwide.<\/p>\n<p>In the co-feature, Bruce \u201cShu Shu\u201d Carrington puts his WBC featherweight world title on the line against Mexico\u2019s Rene Palacios.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Cleveland native and U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson takes on fellow unbeaten Christopher Guerrero in a 10-round welterweight battle.<\/p>\n<p>And undefeated lightweight knockout artist Deric \u201cScooter\u201d Davis (11-0, 10 KOs) returns in an eight-round clash against Carlos Ramos (18-4-1, 10 KOs).<\/p>\n<p>The Mason-Cordina, Carrington-Palacios, Tiger-Guerrero and Davis-Ramos fights will be broadcast LIVE beginning at 8 p.m. ET\/5 p.m. PT.<\/p>\n<p>Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Matchroom Boxing, tickets go on sale Friday, May 8, at 12 p.m. ET via Ticketmaster.com.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a major moment for Abdullah Mason as he makes the first defense of his world title in front of his hometown fans,\u201d said Top Rank President Todd duBoef. \u201cJoe 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\u2019s 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\u2019s The Fight series.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mason (20-0, 17 KOs) rose quickly from prospect to world champion. Following an amateur career of roughly 80 bouts, he debuted at 17 in November 2021. Four years later, he captured the WBO crown by dominating unbeaten Sam Noakes last November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. That triumph capped a breakout 2025 that began with a fourth-round stoppage of Manuel Jaimes in February, followed by a sixth-round TKO over Carlos Ornelas in April, and a fifth-round destruction of Namibian veteran Jeremia Nakathila in June.<\/p>\n<p>Mason said, \u201cJuly 4th is the homecoming that my brothers and I have been anticipating since before we turned pro. I\u2019m ready to experience all of my city\u2019s support in one building, and I have an appetite for smoke. So if you love boxing and you\u2019re ready for some smoke, then the Wolstein on July 4th is the place to be. It\u2019s a cookout at the Wolstein, and the clock is ticking. You\u2019re all invited to your world champion\u2019s first homecoming, and you don\u2019t want to miss it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cordina (19-1, 9 KOs) enters his third lightweight assignment seeking a world title in a second weight class. The 34-year-old scored a highlight reel second-round knockout over Kenichi Ogawa to win the IBF title at 130 pounds in 2022 but was stripped before his first defense due to a hand injury. He regained it with a decision over Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in 2023 before losing it to Anthony Cacace last May following a controversial knockdown after a punch during the break. The 2016 Olympian has since recorded victories over Jaret Gonzalez Quiroz and Gabriel Flores Jr. in Flores\u2019 hometown.<\/p>\n<p>Cordina said, \u201cThis is a massive test for me, but this it\u2019s one that I\u2019m more than capable of coming through with flying colors. Abdullah Mason is a very good fighter, and he\u2019s going to do big things in boxing, but I\u2019m going to mess up the homecoming. I\u2019m looking to come over, rip the title away from him, and take it back to the U.K. It\u2019s a massive fight for boxing, and I\u2019m looking to become a three-time, two-weight world champion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is such a great fight,\u201d said Eddie Hearn, Chairman of Matchroom Sport. \u201cAbdullah 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\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carrington (17-0, 10 KOs) is Brownsville, Brooklyn\u2019s latest world champion, following a path once traveled by the likes of Mike Tyson and Zab Judah. A four-year pro, his 2025 campaign produced a third-round stoppage of Jose Enrique Vivas in March and a unanimous points verdict over Mateus Heita in July to win the WBC interim title before becoming full champion with a brutal ninth-round stoppage of Carlos Castro in January. Palacios (19-0-1, 10 KOs) is a rugged Mexican contender who earned his first title opportunity with a decision win over common opponent Sulaiman Segawa.<\/p>\n<p>Carrington said, \u201cThe Shu Shu Show is coming to Ohio for the first title defense! It\u2019s The Shu World Order!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Palacios said. \u201cI\u2019m very excited because, thank God, I now have the opportunity to fight for a world title. I\u2019m 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\u2019m going to keep it. I know Carrington is a great fighter, and he\u2019s proven that, but this time he\u2019s facing someone different from what he saw against Sagawa.\u201d<br \/>\nTiger (17-0, 8 KOs) represented the U.S. at the 2020 Olympics and signed with Top Rank in November 2021. As a super lightweight, he compiled 14 wins before moving up to welterweight last year, where he registered wins over Kendo Casta\u00f1eda and Tarik Zaina before delivering his most significant result to date, a fourth-round TKO of Nicklaus Flauz in November. Guerrero (16-0, 9 KOs is a Mexican born resident of Montreal, Canada who makes his U.S. debut after going 4-0 with two knockouts in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Tiger said, \u201cWe\u2019re bringing fireworks to the Land of the Heartless. I\u2019ve been waiting to fight at home for years, and I can\u2019t 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\u2019m ready to represent the 216 and let everybody know who the next world champion from Cleveland is going to be.\u201d<br \/>\nGuerrero said, \u201cThis is the moment I\u2019ve been waiting for my whole life. It\u2019s long overdue. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I\u2019m not here to collect a paycheck. I\u2019m here to take what\u2019s mine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Undercard action will feature two of Mason\u2019s brothers in separate four-round fights, as Abdurrahman Mason (2-0, 2 KOs) sees action in a lightweight contest and Ibrahim Mason (2-0, 2 KOs) competes in a super featherweight bout.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Welcome To The &quot;Bad&quot; Brad Berkwitt Show\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SI1AfkBrG3I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #808000;\"><a style=\"color: #808000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.authorhouse.com\/en\/bookstore\/bookdetails\/232300-BOXING-INTERVIEWS-OF-A-LIFETIME\">Click Here to Order Boxing Interviews Of A Lifetime By &#8220;Bad&#8221; Brad Berkwitt<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"wpforms-container wpforms-container-full\" id=\"wpforms-126533\"><form id=\"wpforms-form-126533\" class=\"wpforms-validate wpforms-form wpforms-ajax-form\" data-formid=\"126533\" method=\"post\" enctype=\"multipart\/form-data\" action=\"\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F135715\" data-token=\"06577c99565a6f846863e50131093de5\" data-token-time=\"1778018931\"><noscript class=\"wpforms-error-noscript\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.<\/noscript><div class=\"wpforms-field-container\"><div id=\"wpforms-126533-field_1-container\" class=\"wpforms-field wpforms-field-name\" data-field-id=\"1\"><label class=\"wpforms-field-label\">Name <span class=\"wpforms-required-label\">*<\/span><\/label><div class=\"wpforms-field-row wpforms-field-medium\"><div class=\"wpforms-field-row-block wpforms-first wpforms-one-half\"><input type=\"text\" id=\"wpforms-126533-field_1\" class=\"wpforms-field-name-first wpforms-field-required\" name=\"wpforms[fields][1][first]\" required><label for=\"wpforms-126533-field_1\" class=\"wpforms-field-sublabel after\">First<\/label><\/div><div class=\"wpforms-field-row-block wpforms-one-half\"><input type=\"text\" id=\"wpforms-126533-field_1-last\" class=\"wpforms-field-name-last wpforms-field-required\" name=\"wpforms[fields][1][last]\" required><label for=\"wpforms-126533-field_1-last\" class=\"wpforms-field-sublabel after\">Last<\/label><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"wpforms-126533-field_2-container\" class=\"wpforms-field wpforms-field-email\" data-field-id=\"2\"><label class=\"wpforms-field-label\" for=\"wpforms-126533-field_2\">Email <span class=\"wpforms-required-label\">*<\/span><\/label><input type=\"email\" id=\"wpforms-126533-field_2\" class=\"wpforms-field-medium wpforms-field-required\" name=\"wpforms[fields][2]\" spellcheck=\"false\" required><\/div>\t\t<div id=\"wpforms-126533-field_4-container\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"wpforms-field wpforms-field-text\"\n\t\t\tdata-field-type=\"text\"\n\t\t\tdata-field-id=\"4\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<label class=\"wpforms-field-label\" for=\"wpforms-126533-field_4\" >or Name Message<\/label>\n\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" id=\"wpforms-126533-field_4\" class=\"wpforms-field-medium\" name=\"wpforms[fields][4]\" >\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"wpforms-126533-field_3-container\" class=\"wpforms-field wpforms-field-textarea\" data-field-id=\"3\"><label class=\"wpforms-field-label\" for=\"wpforms-126533-field_3\">Comment or Message<\/label><textarea id=\"wpforms-126533-field_3\" class=\"wpforms-field-medium\" name=\"wpforms[fields][3]\" ><\/textarea><\/div><script>\n\t\t\t\t( function() {\n\t\t\t\t\tconst style = document.createElement( 'style' );\n\t\t\t\t\tstyle.appendChild( document.createTextNode( '#wpforms-126533-field_4-container { position: absolute !important; 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Abdullah Mason will defend his WBO lightweight world title against Welsh former world champion [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":135716,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[35046],"class_list":["post-135715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-boxing-news","tag-abdullah-mason-returns-home-for-lightweight-world-title-defense-against-joe-cordina-july-4-at-clevelands-wolstein-center"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=135715"}],"version-history":[{"count":-3,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135715\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/135716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=135715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=135715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=135715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}