Norfolk, Virginia – Abdullah Mason (18-0, 16 KOs) has been upgraded to primetime headliner due to Keyshawn Davis’ failure to meet weight. Keyshawn was 4.3 pounds over, and his hometown championship title defense was canceled. He was stripped of his WBO lightweight world title and now appears headed to go up to the 140-pound division. Edwin De Los Santos called Keyshawn irresponsible for not making the contracted weight of 135 pounds. De Los Santos was paid his full purse despite the match being canceled.
Abdullah Mason’s main event opportunity has come earlier than expected. He was on the path to super stardom, co-headlining the event, but now, as the main attraction, he can truly shine. Mason is undefeated with an 88.8 percent knockout rate. He faces an experienced contender in Jeremia Nakathila (26-4, 21 KOs), who has fought the likes of Shakur Stevenson and Raymond Muratalla. He defeated Miguel Berchelt by sixth-round knockout in 2022. The 35-year-old Nakathila has decent power and will test Abdullah on the inside.
Abdullah must not underestimate Nakathila as Berchelt did; he must box intelligently and dictate the pace of the fight. Mason holds the advantage in speed, agility, and reach. He must utilize his skills to his advantage and be cautious of Nakathila’s timing, who looks to land the perfect punch. Jeremia won’t be able to compete against Abdullah’s speed and power and will instead look to counterpunch him. This is Mason’s time to shine, and he must perform to expectations and give the Norfolk crowd a show. If successful, he places himself atop for championship contention.
At Thursday’s press conference, Keyshawn pressed Abdullah about a future fight, which looks unlikely now with Davis having outgrown the division. The WBO presently has Mason ranked number two in their rankings, with Sam Noakes being ranked number one. A future match between the top contenders could happen in the near future, now that the title is vacant. Abdullah’s future is bright; he must stay disciplined and continue on the winning path.
With Mason-Nakathila being elevated to the main event, the co-feature will match Keyshawn’s brother, Kelvin, against Nahir Albright. Keon Davis is also in action against Michael Velez-Garcia.
It may not be the Norfolk hometown homecoming we expected, but it features plenty of action-packed fights with Top Rank stars Tiger Johnson and Troy Isley.
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