Abdullah Mason wins debut in style!
Cleveland’s own lightweight, Abdullah Mason (1-0, 1 KO), won his professional debut in style. The young blue chip prospect accomplished this by toppling Jaylan “No Playin” Phillips (1-1, 1 KO) by way of second round knockout. Abdullah Mason, 17, who is trained by his father, Valient Mason, hails from the storied Mason clan. Along with himself, Valient has raised and molded his four fellow boxing brothers Amir (24), Adil (22), Abdurrahman (18) and Ibrahim (15).
For years, the brothers have garnered local and national attention with their boxing prowess. So much so that even the infamous Floyd Mayweather Sr traveled to watch them ply their brutal trade. Given this impressive foundation, it’s of little surprise that his debut should come under such prestigious circumstances. Signed to Top Rank, the southpaw fighter debuted on an EPSN+ televised portion of Mikaela Mayer vs Maiva Hamadouche undercard.
NO CHANCE!
Once in the ring with Phillips, it was near immediately apparent that No Playin was out of his depth. Mason owned the monopoly on hand speed, accuracy and movement. Throughout the first period, the Cleveland native kept this thumping jab sutured to his opponent’s face as he calibrated the range on his power left. Mason even displayed defensive responsibility and offensive creativity by throwing a diverse array of shots and doubling up on hooks and uppercuts with the same hand.
About the midway point of the second round, Phillips found himself wilting and in retreat of the heavily pursuing Mason. Yet, when No Playin was caught with his back on the straps, Mason clobbered him with a heavy series of left hooks that clearly shook him up. Feeling he had had enough, referee Robert Hoyle jumped in to halt the assault. All in all, this was a fantastic win on the big stage for the young pro.
By: Bakari Simpson
