Norfolk, Virginia – Abdullah Mason (19-0, 17 KOs) shined bright on Saturday night headlining for the first time, and he did not disappoint. He demonstrated his superb boxing skills and put on a show. Mason took apart Jeremia Nakathila landing 51.4 percent of his punches and outlanding him 75 to 26 in total punches landed. The fight was stopped with one second into the fifth round due to Nakathila saying he wasn’t okay and couldn’t see out of his left eye. Mason scored his ninth consecutive knockout, and his overall knockout rate slightly improved to 89.4 percent.
WBO President Gustavo Olivieri posted on X, “Abdullah Mason looks better every time out; sharper, smarter, more dangerous. He’s evolving into a serious force…En route to a WBO world lightweight title.” He also posted the process for a vacant title. The WBO lightweight title became vacant when Keyshawn Davis was stripped of the title when he failed to make weight by coming in 4.3 pounds over the lightweight limit of 135 pounds. The WBO vacant process, as highlighted by Olivieri:
1. Re: Vacant WBO Lightweight Title (135 lbs.)
For informative purposes, the WBO procedure when a title is vacant:
The Championship Committee selects the two best-ranked available contenders (or, in some cases, the top four for a box-off) to compete for the vacancy
2. Once contenders are chosen, they are allotted up to 30 days to negotiate (order) to finalize and sign a contract for the title bout.
3. If no agreement is reached within that period, WBO President or any of the parties may call a purse bid, which must occur 10 days thereafter.
4. Any of the parties may call a purse bid proceeding at any time during the negotiation stage.
5. If a purse bid is held, the winner of a bid must conduct the bout in a period of no less than 45 days or more than 90 days from the adjudication of the promotional rights.
The WBO presently has Sam Noakes ranked number one and Abdullah Mason as number two in the lightweight rankings. If the top-ranked fighters are matched against each other as stated above, that would mean a fight between Noakes and Mason. That exact question was posed to Mason at the post-fight press conference, and he stated that it is a matchup he wants. He wants to become a champion and has claimed that he would fight anyone to become champion. He is also willing to go to the United Kingdom to face Noakes if necessary.
Mason appears ready for the next step up. He considers Norfolk a second home after the ovation he received, but expressed interest in headlining in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Everything points toward a championship match very soon. Abdullah has a very bright future; he is a professional both inside and outside the ring. He is dedicated to his craft and has great support from his family. His father and brothers are with him at all times– during camp and fight night. Abdullah’s opportunity has come sooner than expected, but now that it’s here, he must seize the moment and strive for greatness.
