NEWARK, NJ — It is a little hard to believe that Abdullah Mason is still in his embryonic stage. Anyone between 135 and 147 better watch when this phase passes, which it looks like it is happening fast. The 20-year-old southpaw looks awfully good, too good, right now as his young career blossoms.
The 5-foot-9 Mason was supposed to be facing his toughest opponent Saturday night on the undercard of the Shakur Stevenson WBC lightweight title defense against Artem Harutyunyan at the Prudential Center.
It did not look like it, the way Mason took apart 31-year-old veteran Luis Lebron in three rounds.
Abdullah Mason worked well to the body against Luis Lebron (Photo by Mikey WIlliams/Top Rank)
Mason (14-0, 12 knockouts) barely worked up a sweat in getting the stoppage victory at 1:18 of the third.
“I’m here, I’m coming, they see me,” Mason said. “I fed him a little bit of smoke, and he didn’t happen have the appetite for it. I’m on ESPN and I have a lot of skill to give out. I didn’t want to end the night too early. It was the (second) round that I dropped him twice.
“I took my time a little bit. I wanted to take my time and give the people something to watch. I wasn’t surprised (Lebron came out for the third).”
In the opening round, Mason, in sparkling purple trunks, poked and prodded against Lebron. Lebron (20-6-1, 13 KOs) tried to pressure the hot prospect, and he could not find Mason. In the meantime, Mason worked different levels well, stabbing at the body and when Lebron would bring his hands down, Mason would work up top.
In the opening 10 seconds of the second. Mason drove a left uppercut through Lebron’s face. Using his right shoulder, Mason bore into Lebron and had him backing up in the second half of the round with a body shot with 1:40 left in the round.
THE TRAINER HAD ENOUGH
PURE DOMINANCE FROM ABDULLAH MASON #SHAKURARTEM pic.twitter.com/iGK48SBAXt
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) July 7, 2024
With 50 seconds left in the second, Mason bounced a left uppercut off Lebron, followed by a right hook, which sent Lebron down. About 20 seconds later, Mason dropped Lebron a second time with three right hooks.
In the third, Lebron, with blood streaming from his nose, Mason nailed him with a right, followed by a left to the body. Mason closed the fast, accurate combination with a right hook, which forced Lebron’s corner to toss in the towel at 1:18 of the third.
“This is a process and he is getting it more and more,” said Valiant Mason, Abdullah’s father, and trainer. “We did not want to rush things. We wanted to do everything behind our defense. I liked everything about tonight. It was beautiful. I liked his execution; he placed his punches.
“Everything went where it was supposed to go. Everything I told he listened to, and I get almost everything I ask almost immediately. I don’t think anything was learned. I think we did some teaching tonight.”
Joseph Santoliquito is a Hall of Fame, award-winning sportswriter who has been working for Ring Magazine/RingTV.com since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
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