Joe Cordina's US Visa Denial Cancels WBO Lightweight Title Fight vs Abdullah Mason
Joe Cordina had been aiming to become a three-time, two-weight world champion, but his WBO lightweight title fight against American Abdullah Mason has been cancelled after Cordina was denied entry to the United States.
The Welsh former super-featherweight world champion, aged 34, was scheduled to face Mason in Cleveland on Saturday, 4 July. However, Cordina revealed that the United States embassy in London rejected his visa application.
In a social media statement, Cordina said:
"I was due to fly to the United States this week. A couple of days back I went to the US embassy in London and they basically denied me a visa.
"I tried to explain certain things, and had all the paperwork to back it up, and they wasn't having it.
"They just sort of basically told me you ain't getting in, so it's on my hands.
"Absolutely gutted, because it's my chance to become a three time two-weight world champion, plus fight for a world title in America, which was a goal of mine."
Cordina also expressed sympathy for Mason and refuted any claims that he was injured.
"I've seen a load of things saying injuries, and this, and there's no injuries. I've had a great camp," Cordina stated.
The cancelled fight was set to be Mason's first defence of the WBO lightweight title, which he won in a dramatic bout against Sam Noakes in November 2025.
Cordina's Career and Recent Fights
Hailing from Cardiff, Cordina had been pursuing the achievement of becoming a two-weight world champion. He lost his IBF 130lb world title in May 2024 in a surprising defeat to Anthony Cacace, marking the only loss in his 19-fight professional career.
Since then, Cordina secured the vacant WBO global lightweight title by defeating Jaret Gonzalez Quiroz and followed that with a commanding unanimous points victory over Gabriel Flores Jr in California in December 2025.
Earlier in his career, Cordina won British and Commonwealth lightweight titles. He was also a distinguished amateur boxer who competed at the Olympics and was part of the same Team GB programme as his friend Anthony Joshua.
Professional Milestones
Turning professional in 2017, Cordina became Wales' 13th world champion boxer when he claimed the IBF super-featherweight title by defeating Kenichi Ogawa in June 2022.
He was stripped of this title after being unable to defend it within a 90-day period due to a broken hand but regained it with a hard-fought split-decision victory over Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in April 2023.
In May 2024, Cordina was a strong favourite to retain his belt in Riyadh but was stopped in the eighth round by Belfast's Cacace, who dominated the fight.
Cordina was scheduled to return against Shakur Stevenson in October 2024, but the WBC lightweight champion withdrew due to a hand injury.
After a 14-month layoff, Cordina returned in July 2025 to defeat Gonzalez Quiroz by a hard-fought points decision at Manchester's AO Arena, overcoming the quick and spirited Mexican opponent.
In a fight billed as a final eliminator for the WBO lightweight world title, Cordina faced Gabriel Flores Jr and was penalised a point in the sixth round for rabbit punching. He also had his knees buckled by an uppercut in the seventh round.
Despite these challenges, Cordina won his first fight in the United States with scores of 117-110, 115-112, and 114-113, establishing himself as the number one contender for Mason's title.
