Boxing
Abdullah Mason’s chin checked by Joe Cordina on July 4
Riyadh plan
Mason’s breakthrough was supposed to be the fight with Sam Noakes for the vacant title. Instead, it was a physical tax that could have changed the trajectory of his career. Mason won a unanimous decision but absorbed 156 punches, while Noakes landed 138 power punches.
For a 22-year-old who usually handles fights with ease, Riyad was a car accident. Noakes’ body work and powerful right hand in the fifth threw Mason’s head back, forcing the adolescent slugger to abandon his identity and fight as a desperate boxer just to survive. We don’t know if Mason returns to Cleveland with his physical fitness intact or if Noakes left him weakened.
Cordina threat
Joe Cordina is not a gatekeeper. He’s a master of timing, fresh off a win over Gabriel Flores Jr. in December. Unlike Noakes, which relied on grit, Cordina delivers elite precision.
“July 4 is an essential day for America, but it’s also an essential day for boxing. Abdullah is a good fighter, but I want to screw up his return home. I’m coming to rip out his heart and bring it back to the UK,” Cordina said.
The Welshman’s message is blunt: he intends to “snatch the title.” If Cordina followed Noakes’ plan – taking Mason in and watching Noakes open his left cheek – she would have the technical precision to finish the job. Cordina specializes in timing explosive southpaws, often using a tiny, clinical right-hand counter to which Mason’s defense, which looked leaky in Riyad, was vulnerable.
Physical wall
Mason’s confidence, “Everything he does, I do better,” ignores clinical reality. Cordina is a huge lightweight who has worked his way up to 130 pounds over the years. It will be stronger in the pocket. If Mason hasn’t fully recovered from Noakes’ punishment, Cordina has the wit of a veteran to turn this “hometown celebration” into a disaster.
The rest of Cleveland’s bill, including Bruce Carrington and Tiger Johnson, follows a standard upward path. But Cordina is the only man on the card who has no interest in the future. He is interested in the immediate, violent present.
If Mason handles him cleanly, the star will be real. If he doesn’t, on July 4 the boxing world will realize that Mason spent his best days in the ring in Riyad.
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