Former world champion will appear in court on July 7 after police charged him over an alleged February incident, one day after his U.S. visa denial ended his title fight with Abdullah Mason
Former two-time junior lightweight champion Joe Cordina has been charged with assault and threatening a person with an offensive weapon, one day after revealing he was denied a U.S. visa and withdrew from his scheduled world title fight against Abdullah Mason. South Wales Police said the charges relate to an alleged incident outside a Cardiff petrol station on February 27.
A video that appeared to show an altercation at the petrol station circulated on social media shortly after the incident, showing shouting before one man fell to the ground.
The charges surfaced one day after Cordina revealed he had been denied a visa to enter the United States, forcing him to withdraw from his scheduled July 4 challenge against WBO lightweight champion Abdullah Mason in Cleveland.
“Just to let everyone know that I’m not going to fight,” Cordina said on Instagram. “It’s not injuries… 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 I had all the paperwork to back it up, and they wasn’t having it. They basically told me, ‘You ain’t getting in.'”
Cordina said he was “absolutely gutted” to miss what would have been his opportunity to become a three-time world champion in a second weight class.
Mason will now defend his WBO lightweight title against the unbeaten Albert Bell on July 4 at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland.
