Tim Bradley predicts top lightweight fighters will avoid Abdullah Mason if he defeats San Noakes to win the vacant WBO lightweight title this month on November 22 in Riyadh.
Podcaster and Boxing Hall of Famer Bradley states that 21-year-old Mason (19-0, 17 KOs) will be in the “who needs him” club if he captures the WBO title at Turki Alalshikh’s Ring IV event on DAZN PPV at the ANB Arena in Riyadh.
Abdullah Mason’s road to the WBO title
“Mason wins this title (vacant WBO lightweight belt), he’s going to be a dangerous fighter at 135 pounds. Trust me, not many guys are going to call him out. They’re going to look the other way,” pod host/commentator Tim Bradley said on his YouTube channeltalks about how Abdullah Mason will be shunned by fighters at 135 if he defeats Sam Noakes to capture the vacant WBO lightweight title on November 22nd.
If Mason prevails on Nov. 22, some fighters will be eager to face him. These fearless lightweight contenders will likely jump at the chance to face Abdullah:
- Andy Cruz
- Floyd Schofield
- Core Herrera
- William Zepeda
The question is, would Mason’s promoters at Top Rank be open to matching him against any of those fighters? He would have a good chance to beat Herrera and Zepeda. However, these will still be risky fights for Mason, as the two have elements in their game that will cause problems for him in terms of power (Jadier) and high-volume punch output (Zepeda).
It would be a bad idea for Top Rank to match Abdullah Mason against the power puncher Schofield or the highly technical Cuban Andy Cruz. These are both fights Mason could lose. He doesn’t have the technical skills to defeat Cruz, and the power of Schofield would be a serious threat.
Why Top Fighters Fear Mason’s Power
“They’re going to say: ‘He hasn’t brought enough to the table yet.’ That’s what they’re going to say. When a fighter doesn’t want to face another fighter, that’s what he says. ‘He doesn’t bring enough to the table. Oh, he’s just green. Yes, he must continue to build his fame.’ That’s what we’re saying,” Bradley said of his belief that Abdullah Mason will be shunned like the plague if he captures the WBO title.
It is easy to predict what Bradley says about Mason’s events. If you look at the top fighters like Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta Davis, they probably don’t want to mix it up with a dangerous young puncher like Mason. He hits too hard, and he is dangerous with both hands. Plus, the money that would be on the line against Abdullah wouldn’t be big enough for the top fighters at 135 to take the risk.
Last updated on 11/04/2025
