Joe Cordina ruled out of WBO title fight after being denied entry to U.S.

Welsh boxer Joe Cordina has been ruled out of a world title fight after he was denied a visa to enter the United States.Former world super-featherweight champion and 2016 Olympian Cordina was due to fight for the WBO lightweight title against American rising star Abdullah Mason in Cleveland, Ohio on July 4.Cordina, 34, confirmed on his Instagram story on Wednesday that he had been denied a visa to enter the U.S. for the fight by the American embassy in London.South Wales Police has confirmed that Cordina, along with another man, has been charged in connection with an alleged incident that took place outside a petrol station near the Welsh capital Cardiff in February.In a statement released to Wales Online, the force said: “Joseph Cordina, 34, from Pontprennau, has been charged with assault and threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a public place. He is due to appear at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on July 7.

“Jamie O’Brien, 32, from Pentwyn, has been charged with assault and is due to appear at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on July 28.”The Athletic has approached South Wales Police to confirm the charges.“I was due to fly to the United States this week,” Cordina said. “A couple of days back, I went to the U.S. 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.'”Cordina’s last fight took place in California when he outpointed Gabriel Flores Jr in December of last year.A spokesperson for Cordina’s promoter, Matchroom Sport, declined to comment when approached by The Athletic.The show is being promoted by Top Rank, in association with Matchroom Boxing, and broadcast on DAZN and TNT Sports in the U.S.Mason, 22, will still defend his title with The Ring reporting fellow American Albert Bell will be the replacement. The Ohio native became boxing’s youngest current male world champion when he outpointed British fighter Sam Noakes in November.Jun 25, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms