Abdullah Mason (16-0, 14 KOs) had to overcome adversity last Friday night, suffering two knockdowns in the first round before coming back to knock out scrappy Yohan Vasquez (26-6, 21 KOs) in the second round on Friday evening. at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.
(Credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank)
Mason, 20, stopped the injured Vasquez with a left to the body in the second round, jumping out of a difficult situation to get the knockout at the 1:59 mark. Vasquez suffered a right leg injury after being hurt by a left hand from Mason early in the second round, and was defenseless at the point.
After the fight, Mason admitted he made a mistake taking the fight inside so early against the 30-year-old Dominican Republic-born Vasquez. In retrospect, Mason feels he should have boxed initially before going inside to wage war against a boxing great.
Abdullah Mason is back
In the first takedown, Mason tried to throw an uppercut inside and was caught by a short left hook from Vasquez. After that, Mason came back to land Vasquez with a thunderous left uppercut in the first round.
Mason was like a shark smelling blood in the water, he attacked Vasquez recklessly. In the final seconds of the first round, Vasquez knocked Mason down again with a left hook. He wasn’t hurt when he got up, but he had a look of surprise on his face, as if to say, “How did I get it again?”
“That’s why we’re in it – to make boxing exciting. It was fun. I showed that I was human, but I’m back,” said Abdullah Mason to FighthypeDiscussing his need to get off the deck twice from first-round knockdowns to rally to score a second-round knockout of Yohan Vasquez on Friday night in Norfolk, Virginia.
“Flash; it was a fluke,” Abdullah said about being dropped by a left hook twice from Vasquez in the first round. “It was a great fight, but I’m here, and we’ll go to the next one. I have to go back and look step by step to remember all the moments.
Mason Wants Title Shot In 2025
“We want them all,” said Mason about wanting all the lightweight champions in 2025 that he will be looking for a title shot.
Top Rank will decide whether to push Mason for a world title shot in 2025, as they may choose to continue developing him after the problems he had against non-contender Vasquez. For Mason to have a chance against any of the world champions, he would need to avoid making the same reckless mistakes that led to his two knockdowns.
Assuming Mason fights for a world title next year, a match against WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, WBO champion Denys Berinchyk or whoever holds the IBF belt would be a good choice.
“As soon as I looked at it, I was like, ‘Oh no,’ but this turned me into a new fighter,” Mason told Fighthype about his belief that he will improve from his performance. “I would say I stepped inside a little early. Being a power puncher, I knew I was going to box there, but I stepped inside a little early.
Areas of Improvement for Abdullah Mason
– Stay outside
– Use height and height
– Soften opponents first
– Avoid early shootouts
Against a powerful fighter like Vasquez, Mason should have stayed on the outside and bombarded him from wide range instead of getting in close where his opponent could land with his hard left hooks.
“I deviated from the plan and everything my father tells me; I saw him close this time instead of learning from someone else’s mistakes.
