A newly-crowned world champion has pledged to achieve great things just days after writing his name into the boxing history books.
Cleveland’s Abdullah Mason walked away as the new WBO world lightweight champion at the conclusion of his battle with Britain’s Sam Noakes in Riyadh on Saturday night.
Mason put on an impressive display against the valiant Noakes to become the sport’s youngest active male world champion at just 21-years-old, a moment that will live long in the memory of the hard-hitting American star.
Speaking to Seconds Out just moments after he was declared the winner on Saturday, Mason gave an honest assessment of his performance against Noakes where he spoke fondly of the ‘strong and sturdy’ Brit.
“Man, I feel like I tried to force it a little bit, you know? I hurt him early and I tried to jump on him and then from there I kind of sat with him and I tried to wait for the opportunity but that’s where he was sturdy, that’s where he was strong. Any time I stepped back and started letting my hands go it kind of flowed a little bit better.”
Mason was then asked what he believes will be next for him as he admits he is targeting ‘more greatness’.
“This is the first step towards a lot more greatness, boxing is going to determine what comes next.”
The 21-year-old will now be looking to cement himself as a superstar in what is considered to be the most exciting division in the sport alongside the likes of Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, just two fighters that he could cross paths with in years to come.
