Abdullah Mason returns to action against late kid Mike Ohan Jr. in Quebec City
At just 18 years old, Abdullah Mason (right) already looks like the complete package. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
Undefeated lightweight Abdullah Mason has impressively won every test so far as a pro.
Although it is early in his career, one has to wonder how capable and successful Mason will be once he reaches the peak of his career.
Mason will face Mike Ohan, Jr. Saturday night at the Center Videotron in Quebec City, Canada. The eight-round fight will be part of the Top Rank undercard that will air live on ESPN+ (5 pm ET/ 2 pm PT).
Bob Arum of Top Rank believes that Mason has not only hit his ceiling, but has the potential to become one of the best fighters in the sport. The 20-year-old Mason (14-0, 12 knockouts), who lives in Cleveland, Ohio, has emerged as one of the top young fighters in the company after dominating and knocking out opponents to date.
“When you sign a kid like this, you put him in his first fight, you know he looks really good in the underclassmen and he looks good in the gym,” Arum told The Ring in a recent interview. “But how is he going to play when he’s a player and fighting all these different fighters? And surpass anything (we thought). He is a mighty warrior. He could be one of the greatest of all time.
“I mean it’s still early. Let’s see how you progress. But all the ingredients are there. You are really very talented. He comes from a good family. His father is a scary guy. All the brothers support me a lot. So we have high hopes that he will be a big star in the years to come.”
The southpaw Mason last fought on July 6, scoring a third-round knockout of Luis Lebron, who had entered the fight unbeaten. Mason took down Lebron three times. In his last fight on April 13, Mason took Ronal Ron down multiple times before ending the affair with four.
Mason has shown devastating power, including in his February 8 fight against Benjamin Gurment, landing a knockout in the second round. Last year, Mason fought five times.
The fight against Ohan will be his fourth this year. In Thursday’s press conference, Mason expressed his hope that, barring injury, he will fight at least once before the end of 2024.
Ohan (19-2, 9 KOs) has not fought since August 11 of last year, when he defeated Harry Gigliotti by unanimous decision in Quincy, Massachusetts, now far from his hometown of Holbrook. In his previous fight, which took place two months before his victory over Gugliotti, Ohan defeated William Parra Smith by decision.
Ohan has won his last three fights since a knockout loss to Delonte ‘Tiger’ Johnson in December 2022.
The Mason-Ohan fight will be fought at a catchweight of 137 pounds.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has handled boxing in Southern California and internationally since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. They can be reached at [email protected]
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