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Philippines, 26 May 2026 |
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Abdullah Mason Returns Home for Lightweight World Title Defense against Joe Cordina July 4 at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center PhilBoxing.com Wed, 06 May 2026  Headlines first “The Fight” event LIVE on TNT and DAZN Bruce Carrington to Defend WBC Featherweight World Title against Rene Palacios in Co-Feature Cleveland Native and U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson Faces Fellow Unbeaten Welterweight Christopher Guerrero Tickets go on sale Friday, May 8, at 12 p.m. ET via CLEVELAND (May 5, 2026) — Boxing’s 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’s inaugural The Fight event, a new monthly live boxing series. Abdullah Mason will defend his WBO lightweight world title against Welsh former world champion Joe Cordina on Saturday, July 4 at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center. The Fight: Mason vs. Cordina will be broadcast on TNT and DAZN co-exclusively in the US and on DAZN Worldwide. 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). 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. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Matchroom Boxing, tickets go on sale Friday, May 8, at 12 p.m. ET via Ticketmaster.com. “This is a major moment for Abdullah Mason as he makes the first defense of his world title in front of his hometown fans,” said Top Rank President Todd duBoef. “Joe 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’s 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’s The Fightseries.” 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. Mason said, “July 4th is the homecoming that my brothers and I have been anticipating since before we turned pro. 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. Cordina said, “This is a massive test for me, but this it’s one that I’m more than capable of coming through with flying colors. 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.” “This is such a great fight,” said Eddie Hearn, Chairman of Matchroom Sport. “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. 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.” 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. Carrington said, “The Shu Shu Show is coming to Ohio for the first title defense! It’s The Shu World Order!" Palacios said. “I’m very excited because, thank God, I now have the opportunity to fight for a world title. 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. I know Carrington is a great fighter, and he’s proven that, but this time he’s facing someone different from what he saw against Sagawa.” 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. Tiger said, “We’re bringing fireworks to the Land of the Heartless. I’ve been waiting to fight at home for years, and I can’t 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’m ready to represent the 216 and let everybody know who the next world champion from Cleveland is going to be.” Guerrero said, “This is the moment I’ve been waiting for my whole life. It’s long overdue. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to collect a paycheck. I’m here to take what’s mine.” 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.  |
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