WBO to order Abdullah Mason vs. Sam Noakes to fight for vacant lightweight belt
Jun 11, 2025 • 11:27 AM ET
Mikey Williams / Top RankThe WBO is poised this week to order unbeaten lightweight contenders Abdullah Mason and U.K.’s Sam Noakes to meet for the 135lbs title left vacant by overweight and stripped former champion Keyshawn Davis, BoxingScene has learned.
Cleveland’s Mason, 19-0 (17 KOs), affirmed his position as the WBO’s No. 2-ranked contender by stopping veteran contender Jeremia Naskathila, ranked 11th by the sanctioning body, Saturday night on ESPN when the 35-year-old failed to answer the fifth-round bell in the replacement main event for Davis’ scrapped defense against Edwin De Los Santos.
At 21, Mason carries glowing promise given his skill and power, and he’s the expected betting favorite over the 27-year-old Noakes, 17-0 (15 KOs).
Noakes, the WBO’s top-rated contender who has compiled nine bouts since March 2022, most recently fought May 10 in Nottingham, England, stopping Patrick Balaz in a 140lbs bout.
While De Los Santos was in position to fight for the belt if he had chosen to meet the four-plus-pounds-overweight Davis (13-0) Saturday in Norfolk, Virginia, he declined because of the weight disparity.
That doesn’t entitle him to the title fight now, however, because Davis selected De Los Santos as the WBO’s 14th-ranked contender, and the sanctioning body is opening the title bout to its highest-ranked contenders.
Mason and Noakes will have 30 days to strike a deal for their title bout.
Lance Pugmire has been a full-time boxing writer for nearly 20 years, serving now as BoxingScene’s U.S. Senior Writer and assistant producer for ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today.” Pugmire capped a near 20-year career at the Los Angeles Times (sports investigations, NHL/MLB beat work, law enforcement/courts and boxing/UFC) to join The Athletic, and then USA Today. Pugmire’s stint at The Times started with the first Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez fight and the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jnr then-record pay-per-view, leading through a slew of ringside assignments at major bouts, including Mayweather-Pacquiao, Mayweather-Canelo and the Canelo-Golovkin trilogy. Lance’s appreciation for boxing is rooted in his admiration and appreciation for the fighters, gladiators who have proven to be the most forthcoming and candid of all the athletes he has interviewed over a career dating to 1990. Lance was honored to be named the 2022 winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence and he’s collected many BWAA writing awards in categories ranging from breaking news to deep-dive long features.
