STOCKTON, Calif. – Joe Cordina is willing to face Abdullah Mason in Mason’s hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.
Cordina defeated Gabriel Flores Jnr on Saturday night at the Adventist Health Arena in Stockton, California. Cordina is expecting to become the No.1 contender for Abdullah Mason, who holds the WBO lightweight title.
“They are talking about him fighting in Cleveland in April,” Eddie Hearn, Cordina’s promoter, said in the post-fight press conference afterward. “Why not fight Joe? We will make the offer to Top Rank to do that fight in Cleveland, if they want,” Hearn said. “My gut feeling is they won’t want him to fight [Cordina] just yet.”
Cordina improved to 19-1 (9 KOs), and eyes the top fighters in the division after winning his first two fights in the lightweight division.
“You fight like you did tonight, it is so much easier getting the big fights,” Hearn said. “Everyone watches that fight and they see him versus Abdullah Mason, that’s a great fight. It is what people want to watch.”
Cordina of Cardiff, Wales, looks to names of the past in U.K. boxing. Whether it was Joe Calzaghe, Lennox Lewis, or Ricky Hatton, one thing they all had in common was that they came to the United States to defeat a notable fighter on enemy soil. At 34 years old, Cordina aims to accomplish that in 2026.
“They all fought the big American names,” Cordina said. “I have been chasing a big fight with a big American name for a long time.”
Cordina was set to face Shakur Stevenson last before Stevenson got injured, and Cordina was left without his marquee opponent. Now, Cordina is targeting Mason for his career-defining moment.
“I got things I want to do after boxing,” Cordina said. “At this present moment, I am focused on becoming a three-time, two-division world champion.”
Hearn believes the type of performance Cordina had beating Flores, 25-3 (8 KOs), in his opponent’s hometown made it an even bigger statement.
“You get a lot more credit and the performance is a lot more impressive to come on away soil, to the guy’s backyard, and beat him in an eliminator,” Hearn said. “He was very harsh on him; he wasn’t that pleased with his performance. I thought it was incredible.”
Hearn admits that Cordina was basically fighting for his career.
“If he lost tonight, he was in a terrible position,” Hearn said. “Of all of Cordina’s wins, the Flores fight will go down as his most important. He might laugh, because he has won the world championship twice, but he had to win tonight; he was fucked if he didn’t win tonight.”
“If I can’t beat Gabriel Flores, where do I go?” Cordina said. “I have won world titles. I am not going to step down to British level.”
Cordina aims for his next fight to be a title fight. Whether it is Mason or the winner of a January 26 clash between IBF lightweight titleholder Raymond Muratalla, facing unbeaten Cuban Olympic Gold medalist Andy Cruz, who is also signed to Matchroom Boxing.
“That fight might not happen next,” Cordina said. “But I would like for it to happen next.”
