Abdullah Mason will now face Mexican southpaw Carlos "Chinito" Ornelas in a 10-round special feature on Saturday, April 5, at Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
Ornelas replaces Giovanni Cabrera, who withdrew from the bout due to injury.
Mason-Ornelas is part of a loaded card headlined by the 10-round main event between rising heavyweights Richard Torrez Jr. and Guido Vianello. Junior welterweight standouts Lindolfo Delgado and Elvis Rodriguez will meet in a high-stakes co-feature scheduled for 10 rounds. The entire Torrez-Vianello card will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+.
Mason (17-0, 15 KOs), who turns 21 on fight day, enters his first scheduled 10-rounder riding a wave of momentum. He knocked out Manuel Jaimes in four rounds in February on the Denys Berinchyk-Keyshawn Davis bill in New York City. Mason went 5-0 with five early stoppages in 2024 and ascended from a promising prospect to a wunderkind contender.
Ornelas (28-4, 15 KOs) is the most battle-tested foe of Mason's pro career, a 30-year-old with extensive experience against established Mexican opposition. He has won three fights since losing a 10-round decision to Rafael Espinoza in January 2021. Ornelas is coming off a December 2023 decision win over David Moreno Potrero, who entered that bout with a 16-0-1 record.