A STEP TOWARD ALL THE WAY
Luis Lebron’s corner threw in the towel to rescue him from Mason in Round 3.
the perfect opponent for Mason at this moment: solid but not near the class of lightweight superstars Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson. The matchups against pound-for-pounders will come in time, assuming Mason continues to win his fights. After all, he has had only two scheduled 10-round bouts and has only 59 pro rounds under his belt. “He still has a ways to go,” Goodman said. “He can beat the majority of [lightweight contenders] right now, but in another year, year and a half – even if he wins the title and defends once or twice – with more experience in 10- and 12-round bouts, he’ll beat even more of the top lightweights. “Is he the real deal? Yes. If he beats Noakes and then gets one or two of the right title defenses, he’ll be on his way. His future remains to be seen. First things first, November 22.” Mason, too, wants to limit his focus to Noakes and the challenge ahead. When discussing the future, he shared only his knowledge of Kilbane’s long
punch. Now he’s experienced that. He’s seen certain things. That will make him a better fighter. Personally, I don’t think he’s going to make those mistakes again. “… I have to say I’d like to see him concentrate on defense a little more, though. He’s so offensive-minded; he’s so good offensively. He just needs to sharpen up his defense a little.” Of course Mason has room for improvement. Again, he’s only 21, an age when all fighters – even the best – are still developing. And one could argue that the chance to fight for a world title came a little earlier than it should have. Mason was handed the opportunity after Davis was stripped of the belt because he missed weight for his defense against Edwin De Los Santos in June. Mason happened to be ranked No. 1 by the sanctioning body, Noakes No. 2, which set up the fight in November. And make no mistake: Noakes (17-0, 15 KOs) is no pushover. The British 135-pound champion is a good, strong boxer with knockout power of his own. That being said, Noakes could be
reign and the fact he’s gratified that fans have high expectations for him and like to watch him fight. “I’m very excited about that,” he said. His father is comfortable taking a bolder stance when it comes to the young man’s potential. He can attest to his son’s commitment to the sport. He sees the support the brothers provide one another every day, which helps in development. He has witnessed firsthand 12 years of hard, consistent work in the gym. He sees the progress made every day. And he sees the results on fight night. To him, that means Abdullah is in control of his own fate. “This is just the beginning,” Valiant Mason said. “It’s gonna get even bigger. How far can he go? As far as he wants. He can do it all, he can do a little. It’s all on him. Everything is there for him to do what he wants in the sport.”
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