Saturday Night Boxing: Opinions and Observations: Mason-Noakes

During Saturday's thrilling fight between Abdullah Mason and Sam Noakes, a key subplot was the divergence between what Valiant Mason (Abdullah's father and trainer) wanted his son to do and Abdullah's own plan for winning the fight. As early as after the first round, Valiant implored Abdullah to move more and focus on boxing, not trading power punches. But Abdullah was determined to slug it out.

Much of the fight, which was for a vacant lightweight title, featured frenetic action. Mason fired off bombs: left uppercuts and straight lefts to the body and head. Noakes found opportune moments to counter with straight rights to Mason's head and his own uppercuts. After a more subdued ninth round where Mason boxed more, Valiant said he needed three more rounds like that one. And just as Abdullah had done throughout the fight, he mostly ignored his father's instructions and decided to freelance. After a solid tenth, he had his toughest round of the fight in the 11th where Noakes was able to deliver pulsating counters that pushed him back.

In the end, Mason won a close but unanimous decision. Two of the judges had Mason winning 115-113, as did I, and a third had it 117-111.

Mason (left) and Noakes went to war
Photo courtesy of Leigh Dawney/Queensberry Promotions

Although only 21, Mason has been a hyped prospect for several years. He has excited the boxing world with punishing offensive displays. In 20 fights, he's scored 17 KOs and features several knockout weapons.

Of course, there's another side to that coin. He was dropped twice in the first round last year against Yohan Vasquez and has been fairly easy to hit throughout his career. Against Noakes, his chin held up, but his defensive shortcomings were still apparent.

Despite Mason making Saturday's fight more difficult for himself than it needed to be, he did display several quality intangibles during the match. He exhibited a toughness throughout the fight. He didn't wilt after getting hit by solid shots. The back-and-forth exchanges didn't spook him; he was actually emboldened by them. Mason also demonstrated solid stamina, maintaining a high energy level throughout the fight. And all of these aspects were legitimate questions about him coming into the match. Factor in that he had never been past six rounds prior to Saturday and Mason passed several tests.

However, coachability is a vital intangible too, and one that can ultimately reduce a fighter's ceiling. A fighter has to trust his coach in the ring and be willing to take instruction. Without that bond with a trainer, a fighter is ultimately diminished in the ring. It worked out well enough for Mason on Saturday, but going off script isn't a long-term recipe for success.

It's clear that there's a significant disconnect between Abdullah and his father in the ring. The question is will this daylight between them lead to a greater understanding or a chasm?

Noakes remains a solid professional who if the right matchup occurs could one day win a title. Unfortunately, he had disadvantages with height, reach and athleticism in this matchup. He had success by countering, but he couldn't get going as a lead on a consistent basis. Even though he landed his share of solid power shots, he really isn't a true one-punch knockout artist. He likes to grind opponents down, which only works by connecting frequently and imposing one's will on the other, but he couldn't break Mason's will. However, there's no shame in this defeat. In his first title fight, Noakes performed ably.

As for Mason, it will be fascinating to see if his high-wire act continues or if he adopts an approach that reduces risk and maximizes his chances of winning. In addition to questions of strategy and tactics, Mason also needs to address certain fundamental issues when it comes to defense. Far too often as he was bending down to go to Noakes' body with a power shot, Noakes landed short counters to Mason's unprotected head. Mason didn't make any adjustments to that dynamic throughout the fight. His answers were to throw harder punches with more force. But Noakes wasn't going anywhere. Mason will need to learn that a lot of fighters at the top level can't be knocked out; so, then what?

Should Mason apply himself to improvement, there are still further levels that he can reach in the sport. Knowing when and where to put himself at risk will help separate himself from other quality opponents. Going to war isn't necessarily a bad thing. But going to war unnecessarily is an issue. These areas of understanding will be needed as he continues to face top opponents. He can't stand in front of big punchers for 12 rounds, not with his defense. And he also can win fights without needing to do so.

With his win on Saturday, Mason has placed himself on the world boxing map. He's no longer an undercard secret or a prospect being developed away from the sport's bright lights. There's now a 12-round tape on him for opponents to study. He's a welcome addition to boxing's main stage. Everyone loves dynamic punchers. But for him to rise in the sport or even maintain his place, more will be required. It's his choice.