Because of being denied a visa to enter the U.S. for his upcoming match on July 4th, Joe Cordina was forced to withdraw, and now his former opponent Abdullah Mason will attempt to make his first WBO 135-pound title defense against Albert Bell instead.
Not many details surrounding his denial to enter have been put forward, but according to VP of Boxing Operations at Top Rank Carl Moretti, it was surrounding “a criminal issue serious enough to deny entry.” Many are left puzzled by this news, as it wasn’t long ago that Cordina fought in the U.S., earning a unanimous decision victory over Gabriel Flores Jr. in California last December.
Mason’s newly appointed opponent, Albert Bell, most recently added a 28th straight win to his undefeated professional record with a unanimous decision victory over Keith Hunter to collect two international lightweight titles last August. Mason (20-0) was last in the ring when he captured the WBO lightweight world title last November with an impressive win over Sam Noakes.
Mason vs. Bell will go down as the main event inside the CSU Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 4th. In the co-main event, Bruce Carrington (17-0) will hope to defend his WBC featherweight title over Rene Palacios (19-0-1).
Joe Cordina has been forced out of his July 4 title shot at Abdullah Mason after being denied a visa to enter the US.
Albert Bell, who was due to fight Andy Cruz on July 18, is being reported as the Welshman’s replacement. pic.twitter.com/kMK4oCIIll
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) June 24, 2026