Abdullah Mason (19-0, 17 KOs) says he wants to face #1 Sam Noakes next for the vacant WBO lightweight title after his fifth-round TKO victory over Jeremia Nakathila (26-5, 21 KOs) last Saturday night at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.

Mason Challenges Noakes for WBO

The unbeaten British fighter Noakes (17-0, 15 KOs) is standing in Mason’s way of capturing the WBO belt, which was freed up when the previous champion Keyshawn Davis missed weight last Friday, coming in 4.3 lbs over the 135-lb lightweight limit.

Before Keyshawn was stripped, Mason said he wanted to fight him next for the WBO belt. However, with Davis losing his title and deciding to move up to 140, he’s no longer in the picture.

Davis: Too Scared to Fight?

Some boxing fans believe that Keyshawn was feeling the pressure from Abdullah, and purposefully coming in overweight so he wouldn’t have to fight the young shark next.

That WBO belt was like a hot potato for Keyshawn, and he couldn’t get rid of it fast enough to avoid getting knocked out by Mason. Losing badly to the 21-year-old Mason would hurt Davis’ marketability, undermining his chances of becoming one of the super-rich like Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez.

Noakes’ True Record: 0-0?

Noakes has mostly fought in the UK against domestic-level opposition of limited talent. Although he’s unbeaten, his record is the plastic variety due to the non-world-level fighters he’s beaten. You can argue that Noakes’ true record is 0-0, and will be taking a monumental step up against Abdullah if that fight were to happen next.

“Let’s make it happen. Let’s have a great fight, and that’ll be a fight worthy to see. Sam Noakes is a great opponent. He lets his hands go,” said Abdullah Mason to the media when asked about his thoughts on potentially fighting #1-ranked Sam Noakes for the vacant WBO lightweight title next. “I’m willing to grab a title however it comes.”

Noakes obviously isn’t going to turn down the fight with Mason, because he’s not ranked #1 by any of the other three sanctioning bodies. As such, this might be as good as it gets for the 27-year-old. If Sam turns this down, it’s unlikely that he’ll rise to #1 in the IBF, WBA, or WBC’s rankings, given the type of domestic-level opposition he’s been fighting his entire pro career.

Davis Brothers Jump Albright?

“That’s not how I get down. No comment,” said Mason, reacting to being told that Nahir Albright said that Keyshawn and Keon Davis had jumped him in his dressing room after his victory over Kelvin Davis last night and that he’d been punched and head-butted.

Nahir Albright (17-2, 7 KOs) defeated light welterweight Kelvin Davis (15-1, 8 KOs) by a 10-round majority decision last Saturday night in Norfolk. Kelvin is the older brother of Keyshawn and Keon Davis. In Albright’s previous fight in 2023, he lost a razor-close 10-round majority decision to Keyshawn Davis and had him hurt in the eighth round. Some fans believe Albright had done enough to deserve the victory.