Tim Bradley has named a fighter he believes is a “problem” for several world champions, including Shakur Stevenson, Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney.
Many consider the Americans mentioned to be the best operators in their divisions, and all of them have established themselves among the top 10 operators in terms of value for money.
In the lightweight division, three-division world champion Stevenson is widely considered the best, especially after defending his WBC title against William Zepeda in July.
Meanwhile, Lopez is looking to extend his dominance at 140 pounds will defend the WBO belt against Stevenson at Madison Square Garden in New York on January 31.
As for WBO champion Haney, a dominant victory to dethrone Brian Norman Jr in November made a significant impact on the welterweight division, putting him ahead of fellow champions Mario Barrios, Lewis Crocker and Rolando Romero in the consensus rankings.
And yet, while these three fighters are now approaching their thirties, WBO lightweight champion Abdullah Mason, only 21, is slowly but surely sizzling on their heels.
The youthful prodigy won his main title at 135 pounds with a unanimous decision victory over Sam Noakes, who made a gutsy effort of his own, in November.
And while we have yet to see him delve into elite competition, Bradley nonetheless believes Mason is a earnest problem for any champion.
I keep talking his YouTube channelHall of Famer Bradley predicts an extremely glowing future for the sport’s youngest current world champion.
“Not many guys win world championships at the age of 21. It’s sporadic territory. If he did it in his first 12-round fight and he did it overseas, that should already tell you how mentally robust this kid is.”
“Abdullah is still strict, but even with his severity, endurance, fortitude – and skills on top of that – he is a problem.
“When I speak [he’s] problem for everyone [that means] for everyone. That means Shakur; that is, Haney; that is, Teofimo Lopez; Meaning [IBF super-lightweight champion Richardson] Hitchins. All these guys are going to have problems with this guy.
With many people having similar thoughts to Bradley, it is widely expected that Mason will stay at 135 pounds for at least a compact while longer before pursuing a bid to become a multi-weight world champion.