RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Abdullah Mason had to walk through fire to make history. The 21-year-old American fulfilled his dream of becoming boxing’s youngest active male world champion on Saturday, outlasting rugged Englishman Sam Noakes in a brutal, high-paced slugfest to win the vacant WBO lightweight title on the Benavidez–Yarde undercard at ANB Arena.
Mason (20-0, 17 KOs) was taken into deep waters for the first time in his career, fighting past the sixth round and digging through fatigue to close strong. After 12 action-packed rounds, he prevailed by unanimous decision with scores of 117-111, 115-113, 115-113.
With the win, he eclipses Xander Zayas (23), the WBO super welterweight champion, as the sport’s youngest current male world titleholder.
Noakes Drags Mason Into a Dogfight
Long touted as one of boxing’s blue-chip prospects, Mason came in ranked among the top under-25 talents in the sport. But Sam Noakes (17-1, 15 KOs) refused to play the opponent role quietly.
From the opening rounds, Noakes did everything possible to drag Mason away from his strengths:
-
He marched forward behind constant pressure
-
Forced clinches and close-range exchanges
-
Turned the fight into a phone-booth war to the body
An accidental head clash in Round 3 opened a cut over Noakes’ left eye, but the Brit never wavered. He kept chipping away at Mason’s midsection and appeared to bank several of the early and middle rounds behind relentless inside work.
Mason, though, never stopped answering.
He found a home for:
-
Short uppercuts on the inside
-
Snapping straight shots whenever they separated
-
Clean, fast combinations that reminded everyone why he was so highly regarded
Digging Deep Late and Taking Over
As the rounds wore on and the pace refused to dip, the question became: who would fade first?
Instead of fading, Mason found another gear.
His best moment came in Round 10, when a vicious right uppercut to the liver visibly hurt Noakes. Sensing the moment, Mason opened up, pouring on power shots in search of a stoppage. Noakes, showing his champion’s heart even in defeat, bit down and fired back, somehow surviving to the bell.
Down the stretch, Mason’s cleaner work told. The punch stats reflected his composure and accuracy:
-
Total punches landed: Mason 214 of 566 (38%) – Noakes 156 of 613 (25%)
-
Power punches: Mason 158 – Noakes 135
-
Body shots: Mason 51 – Noakes 39
-
Noakes’ jab was largely neutralized, landing just 17 of 230 attempts
It was a fight that demanded maturity, resilience, and adjustment and Mason delivered all three. Thanks to his resiliency, he is now boxing’s youngest champion.
Welcome to Dice City Sports — where we provide premium, exclusive, up-to-date news and analysis surrounding the Las Vegas sports scene. Follow along on social media, and check back for new articles daily!
Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
