Lightweight Abdullah Mason showed last Saturday night with his fourth-round TKO win over Ronal Ron (14-6, 11 KOs) in Corpus Christi that he’s already better than Devin Haney and would beat him now if the two fought.
Haney likely would never agree to fight the 5’9″ southpaw Mason (13-0, 11 KOs), as Devin is very calculated with his opponents. Still, Mason is the real thing and isn’t building his career on smoke and mirrors with careful matchmaking.
Mason’s Got the Goods
At this point in his career, 20-year-old Mason is a much better fighter than the former undisputed lightweight champion Haney. The only thing holding Mason back is that he’s fighting in a division where he won’t get many opportunities for big fights.
Unlike Haney, who is more of a manufactured fighter, a guy with a crafted image from careful matchmaking, and some believe he’s borrowed Gervonta Davis’ dress style. Abdullah Mason is more the real thing. He punches harder and faster and shows more guts inside the ring than Haney. He’s not a fake.
Mason’s fighting style is missing from Haney’s technical [read: dull] approach to his fights. He’s everything that Haney is not and has the potential of being a true star, not a fake, manufactured one built on soft match-making and gift decisions.
The Lightweight Division’s Glass Ceiling
Staying at 135 may hold him back because Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson, and Vasily Lomachenko will probably never fight him.
Abdullah Mason’s main problem is the lack of opportunities for him at lightweight. The popular fighters aren’t going to fight a dangerous young talent like Mason, and it would be a waste of his career to hang around the division waiting and hoping for one of them to face him.
It’s too risky for these fighters to risk their rep on a big puncher like Mason, who could potentially ruin their earning potential. Mason is also promoted by Top Rank, which is another reason why fighters like Shakur, Tank, and others will never fight him.
Staying at lightweight could involve Mason being isolated, doomed to fight no-name opposition his entire career without becoming a star.
140 Offers Opportunity
Moving up 140 will put Abdullah Mason in a position to fight these guys:
Devin Haney
Isaac Cruz
Ryan Garcia
Subriel Matias
Teofimo Lopez
Richardson Hitchins
Jose Ramirez
Liam Paro
ABDULLAH MASON IS SOMETHING ELSE. pic.twitter.com/KNoJlPJ0L6
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) April 13, 2024