Lightweight contender Abdullah Mason (17-0, 15 KOs) put on a punching display on Friday night, sending the always-tough Manuel Jaimes (16-3-1, 11 KOs) down four times in a fourth-round knockout at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City.

(Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

Explosive Power

Jaimes walked into a big left uppercut from Mason in the second round to put him down. Mason teed off for the remainder of the rounds, landing big punches from the outside.

In the third, Jaimes made some adjustments by trying to stay on the inside to keep Abdullah from getting leverage on his shots. Jaimes landed some nice punches but lacked the power to do anything to Mason. Jaimes made the mistake of leaping in with a shot and was nailed by a left-hand counter from Mason that flattened him on the canvas.

Before the start of the fourth, the ringside doctor checked Jaimes to see if he was okay to continue fighting. Mason quickly dropped Jaimes with a blistering combo to the head in the fourth. This was done on the inside, which is all the more impressive. Abdullah didn’t need to get leverage on the punches to generate colossal power.

A moment later, Mason connected with a fast combination that put Jaimes down for the second time in the fourth referee. Jaimes looked hurt and discouraged at that point. The referee then chose to wave it off. The time of the stoppage was at 1:55 of round four.

Mason, 20, said after the fight that he wants to keep moving up the rankings, and once he’s in position, he wants to fight for a world title.

Based on this performance, Mason looks ready to defeat WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson and would defeat WBO champ Denys Berinchyk or Keyshawn Davis if he gets his hands on that belt. Mason is on another level than those guys.

It’s unlikely that Top Rank will allow Mason to fight Keyshawn, though, because they’re trying to turn the Norfolk, Virginia native into a star, and they’re strategically moving him around risky opposition that would expose him.