On the undercard of the Teofimo Lopez-Jamaine Ortiz event, the Top Rank blue-chip prospect Abdullah Mason remained undefeated as he knocked out Benjamin Gurment (8-1-3, 5 KOs) in the second round.
For the second time in his professional boxing career, Abdullah Mason was in the ring competing against a fellow southpaw. Mason used foot feints and worked the jab in the first half of the opening round, but he closed the round out by landing multiple combinations.
Mason started the second round by immediately landing a stiff jab. Gurment responded by pressing forward and pinning Mason against the ropes. Once his opponent’s back was on the ropes, Gurment threw multiple punches.
With 2:08 remaining in the second round, Mason landed a left hand that hurt Benjamin Gurment. Once he noticed his opponent was hurt, Mason proceeded to land nine consecutive left-hand shots, which forced Gurment to stumble into the ropes.
Referee Harvey Dock stepped in as he ruled the sequence as a knockdown due to the fact that the ropes held Gurment up. The referee asked Gurment was he okay, and Gurment responded by saying “yes.” The referee told Gurment he was going to allow the fight to continue, but he was giving him a real short leash.
As the fight continued, Gurment threw a jab at midrange, and Mason proceeded to counter by landing a vicious left-hand shot that sent Gurment down to the canvas. The referee immediately stepped in to wave to fight off as Gurment remained down on the floor.
Abdullah Mason (12-0, 10 KOs) delivered a very impressive performance. In a brief outing, Mason showed aggression, speed, and power. He fought five times in 2023, and he plans on being very active in 2024.
Mason made the fight against Gurment look routine, but he didn’t categorize it as being an easy bout. He credited the results of the fight to his preparation.
“We got him out of there by doing what we worked on in the the gym, so I wouldn’t say necessarily easy, but we did what we had to do,” Mason said during his post-fight interview.
At the age of 19, Abdullah Mason continues to prove why he is one of the top prospects in the lightweight division. With ten months remaining in the calendar year, Mason has time to squeeze in a few more fights and attempt to elevate his status from prospect to contender.
