The WBO have officially ordered Sam Noakes vs Abdullah Mason to contest their vacant lightweight championship.
The governing body announced today on June 12: “WBO Championships Committee has ordered negotiations between #1 Sam Noakes and #2 Abdullah Mason for the vacant WBO lightweight title. Official negotiation order will be notified and published shortly. Parties have 20 days to reach agreement.”
Ohio’s Abdullah Mason (19-0, 17 KOs) is WBO #2 after bagging NABO and NABF lightweight titles.
The 21-year-old prodigy just defended his belts with a dominant fifth-round stoppage against Namibian puncher Jeremia Nakathila on June 7 in Norfolk, Virginia, making his headlining debut after Keyshawn Davis failed to make weight, and was subsequently stripped of the WBO lightweight title.
Aged 21, “The King of Cleveland” Abdullah Mason famously signed with Top Rank at just 17-years-old.
Promoter Bob Arum praised him as: “one of the most electrifying young fighters I’ve ever seen”.
The southpaw debuted in November 2021 and has scored 17 knockouts from 19 bouts in under four years.
The practising Muslim has an 89% KO ratio, but has never boxed past six rounds before, whereas the Brit has completed two 12-round championship contests, who sports an 88% KO ratio.
Who is Sam Noakes?
England’s Sam Noakes (17-0, 15 KOs) climbed to WBO #1 after winning European, British and Commonwealth lightweight titles.
27-years-old from Maidstone in Kent, Noakes fought recently last month, stopping the “Czech Republic Rocky” Patrik Balaz in three-rounds in a keep-busy fight in Nottingham on May 10.
2024 was the Kent puncher’s best year yet. Already a Commonwealth champ, “Midge” claimed the vacant British lightweight belt with a fourth-round stoppage of Lewis Sylvester to kick the year of in February; then became European champ with a hard-fought unanimous decision victory against the teak-tough Yvan Mendy just two months later in April.
He defended that EBU blue belt to Gianluca Ceglia in September via eighth-round TKO, culminating in a defence of his British and Commonwealth straps to British boxing legend, Ryan Walsh, to cap the stellar year off in December with a dominant UD.
He has an older brother, Sean Noakes, who is also unbeaten and reigned as English welterweight champion for one year from July 2024.
Both young, undefeated fighters are heavy-handed and highly-ranked at #3 (Noakes) and #4 (Mason) with the WBC, as well as #1 and #2 with the WBO.
They have both knocked out all but two of their opponents, and despite boxing twice more in the pro ranks than Noakes, it’s Mason who will be slightly less experienced in their forthcoming fight, as the Brit has boxed in 80 rounds compared to the American’s 59.
Mason has welcomed the fight with the Englishman, who has also readily accepted the opportunity.
Sam said earlier this morning before the announcement was made by Gustavo Olivieri in the afternoon, “Hopefully it comes off, but, as of yet, I don’t really know what’s happening.”
The lightweights are expected to meet sometime in September.
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