Undefeated WBO lightweight champion Abdullah Mason will make the first defense of his title against former two-time IBF champion Joe Cordina on July 4 at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio, in a matchup that puts one of boxing’s most exciting young champions against one of the division’s most experienced former titleholders.
The bout headlines the inaugural edition of The Fight, a new event brand that will air live on TNT Sports and DAZN, giving the card international reach across both platforms. Promoter Eddie Hearn set expectations for what fans can expect from the Independence Day main event.
“Fourth of July fireworks.”
Mason arrives at 20-0 with 17 knockouts, a finishing rate that speaks to the raw power behind his technical ability. The 21-year-old captured the WBO lightweight title in Riyadh with a unanimous decision victory over Sam Noakes, a performance that announced his arrival on the world stage with authority.
Cordina is 19-1 with nine knockouts and brings a very different kind of resume to the contest. The Welsh fighter is a former two-time IBF lightweight champion who has competed at the highest level of the sport and knows what it takes to win and defend a world title. His single professional loss came against Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2023. He enters the Mason fight seeking to become a three-time, two-weight world champion, adding another remarkable chapter to a career that has already produced significant achievements.
The July 4 date gives the fight a built-in event feel, with the holiday weekend providing a natural platform for a card of this ambition. The Wolstein Center in Cleveland gives Mason a home crowd, with the city one of the more passionate fight towns in the American Midwest.