WBO lightweight titleholder Abdullah Mason’s Cleveland homecoming is official.
He will make his first defense against former junior lightweight titleholder Joe Cordina in the main event of a Top Rank card on July 4 (DAZN and TNT, 8 p.m. ET) at Cleveland University’s Wolstein Center, the promoter announced on Tuesday, confirming last month’s Fight Freaks Unite report.
Also on the card, WBC featherweight titlist Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington will make his first defense against Rene Palacios in the co-feature.
The four-fight main card will be simulcast on TNT in the United States as the first episode of the recently announced monthly series “The Fight” on which a DAZN card will also air on the linear basic cable channel, returning men’s championship boxing to linear television for the first time since the end of Top Rank’s deal with ESPN last July.
“This is a major moment for Abdullah Mason as he makes the first defense of his world title in front of his hometown fans,” Top Rank president Todd duBoef said. “Joe Cordina is a proven former world champion with the Olympic and professional experience to take him into deep waters.”
Top Rank also hosted a news conference on Tuesday at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, where Mason was joined by Mayor Justin M. Bibb, Carrington, Cleveland welterweight contender Tiger Johnson, who will also be on the card, and Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti.
Mason (20-0, 17 KOs), who at 22 is the youngest active world titleholder, was 21 when he won an action-packed and highly competitive unanimous decision over England’s then-unbeaten Sam Noakes to claim the vacant title on Nov. 22 on the David Benavidez-Anthony Yarde card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“July 4th is the homecoming that my brothers and I have been anticipating since before we turned pro,” said the southpaw Mason, whose two brothers, lightweight Abdurrahman Mason (2-0, 2 KOs) and junior lightweight Ibrahim Mason (2-0, 2 KOs), will also compete in separate four-rounders. “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.”
As for Mason’s thoughts on Cordina, “He’s definitely a volume puncher. He has some good offense, quick, and has good feet. I would say he’s well rounded in what he does. But everything he does, I do better.”
Cordina (19-1, 9 KOs), 34, of Wales, saw his second IBF 130-pound title reign end by upset eighth-round knockout to Anthony Cacace in May 2024 in Riyadh.
After the defeat, Cordina moved up to lightweight and has won two fights in a row, most recently by unanimous decision over Gabriel Flores Jr. in December in Flores’ hometown of Stockton, California.
“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.”
Said Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, Cordina’s promoter: “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.”
Carrington (17-0, 10 KOs), 29, of Brooklyn, New York, dazzled in a ninth-round knockout of Carlos Castro to win the vacant title on Jan. 31 in New York on the Shakur Stevenson-Teofimo Lopez undercard.
“We are no stranger to collaborating in Cleveland,” Carrington said. “Cleveland and Brooklyn both have notorious thugs. Right now it’s the perfect time to introduce myself to a place I’ve never fought in before. ‘TheShu Shu Show’ is going to be bringing fireworks as everyone knows.”
Palacios (19-0-1, 10 KOs), 25, of Mexico, is stepping up in class for his second fight in a row in the United States.
“I’m very excited because, thank God, I now have the opportunity to fight for a world title,” Palacios said. “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.”
Also on the card, welterweight contender Tiger Johnson (17-0, 8 KOs), 27, a 2020 U.S. Olympian from Cleveland, will fight Christopher Guerrero (16-0, 9 KOs), 25, of Canada, in a 10-rounder.
“I’ve been waiting to fight at home for years, and I can’t wait to show out on July 4,” Johnson said. “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.”
Said Guerrero: “This is the moment I’ve been waiting for my whole life. It’s long overdue. I’m not here to collect a paycheck. I’m here to take what’s mine.”
In the opener, Washington, D.C., lightweight prospect Deric “Scooter” Davis (11-0, 10 KOs), 23, will face Carlos Ramos (18-4-1, 10 KOs), 30, a southpaw from Spain, in an eight-rounder.
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ANNOUNCED: Ring ambassador Abdullah Mason makes the first defense of his WBO lightweight world title against Joe Cordina on July 4th in Cleveland 
