Abdullah Mason, who is boxing’s youngest world champion, will defend his WBO lightweight world title for the first time against Welsh former world champion Joe Cordina on Saturday, July 4 at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center(TNT/DAZN).
In the co-feature, Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington puts his WBC featherweight world title on the line against Mexico’s Rene Palacios.
Additionally, Cleveland native and U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson takes on fellow unbeaten Christopher Guerrero in a 10-round welterweight battle.
And undefeated lightweight knockout artist Deric “Scooter” Davis (11-0, 10 KOs) returns in an eight-round clash against Carlos Ramos (18-4-1, 10 KOs).
Mason (20-0, 17 KOs), 22, 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.
“July 4th is the homecoming that my brothers and I have been anticipating since before we turned pro,” Mason said. “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, 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’ hometown.
“This is a massive test for me, but this it’s one that I’m more than capable of coming through with flying colors,” Cordina said. “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.”
Carrington (17-0, 10 KOs) is Brownsville, Brooklyn’s 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.
Tiger (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 Castañeda 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.
Undercard action will feature two of Mason’s 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.
Leave a Reply