Get ready for a massive showdown on July 4th, as former super-featherweight world champion Joe Cordina steps up to challenge Abdullah Mason for the American's WBO lightweight title in Cleveland. This is a fight that promises fireworks, and for Cordina, it's a chance to prove he belongs among the elite at 135 pounds.
Cordina, a Welsh boxing icon from Cardiff, knows the taste of glory—and defeat. He lost his IBF 130lb world title in a shocking upset to Anthony Cacace back in May 2024, the only blemish on his otherwise stellar 19-fight professional record. But the 34-year-old has bounced back with grit, first beating Jaret Gonzalez Quiroz to claim the vacant WBO global lightweight title, then dominating Gabriel Flores Jr. in a unanimous decision victory in California last December. Those wins showed he's more than ready for another world title shot.
Mason, on the other hand, will have the home crowd behind him at the CSU Wolstein Centre. The American won his WBO lightweight belt in an epic battle with Sam Noakes in November 2025, and this will be his first defense. For Cordina, it's a chance to become a two-weight world champion—a goal he's been chasing since his amateur days, when he fought at the Olympics alongside fellow Team GB star Anthony Joshua.
Cordina's journey has been anything but easy. After turning pro in 2017, he became Wales' 13th world champion boxer by beating Kenichi Ogawa for the IBF super-featherweight title in June 2022. He was stripped of that belt due to a broken hand, but won it back in a hard-fought split-decision victory over Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in April 2023. Then came the Cacace loss in Riyadh, where the fight was stopped in the eighth round. A planned comeback against Shakur Stevenson fell through when the WBC champion pulled out with a hand injury.
Returning from a 14-month layoff in July 2025, Cordina showed heart by outpointing Gonzalez Quiroz at Manchester's AO Arena, digging deep against a fast-handed Mexican. He got a scare from Flores Jr. in a final eliminator for the WBO lightweight title, even getting docked a point for rabbit punching and having his knees buckled. But he survived and thrived, earning this shot at Mason.
Mark your calendars for July 4th—this is a fight that could define Cordina's legacy and shake up the lightweight division. Whether you're backing the Welsh warrior or the hometown hero, one thing's certain: both men will leave it all in the ring.