Once-defeated cruiserweight contender Floyd Masson has a problem.
His fights are too fun.
The soft-spoken left-hander from Recent Zealand, who boxes out of Brisbane, Australia, learned that the tough way in his match against left-handed Belgian Yves Ngabu last September.
Masson (13-1, 7 knockouts) The fight started off pretty well, but as the fight turned into a bloody exchange of punches, it was the sturdy Ngabu (23-2, 17 KOs) who repeatedly got the upper hand in the exchanges.
In the fourth round, Masson was hurt by a punch, but the ring doctor allowed the fight to continue. Masson, who is known for his gigantic tank, tried to dig deep, but the massive hands of Ngabu, 35, eventually wore him down. He was knocked down in the sixth round, and although he beat the count, referee Will Soulos decided he had seen enough.
For Mason, who prides himself on his energetic style, it was a bitter pill to swallow.
That style has served him well in the past. In December 2021, in a fight with former world title challenger Mark Flanagan (26-9, 19 KOs), he went toe-to-toe with a notoriously tough fighter and won a 10-round majority decision. Masson was down in the first round, while Flanagan was on the floor in the fourth.
Two fights later, in April of last year, he put on an equally thrilling performance against Italian left-hander Fabio Turchi (23-3, 16 KOs). In that fight, both boxers bounced around the ring for the full 12 rounds. Blood was shed. Black eyes were earned. The teak-hard Turchi quickly found a home for his left hook, but Masson fought through the pain to alternate between boxing and brawling, finishing the fight with the stronger of the two, winning by unanimous decision 117-110 and 115-112 twice.
The bloody fight ended with both boxers hospitalized. It was the fight of the year on Australian shores.
These performances leave fans with fond memories, but usually do not translate into a long in-ring career.
That’s why Masson’s next fight is so vital. The boxer-puncher will face Joshua “Chucky” Francis (15-2-1, 11 KOs), an aggressive orthodox fighter from Auckland, Recent Zealand, who has proven to be particularly threatening in the early rounds of his fights. The pair will meet at Brisbane’s Mansfield Tavern on August 17 in the main event of the next Premier Boxing Series card, which will be broadcast live and free on streaming service 7plus.
The question is whether Masson will be able to resist the urge to fight when the first massive punch lands on his chin.
“Our styles fit together,” said Masson, who considers Arturo Gatti his all-time favorite fighter. “Of course he wants to come and fight, and I like to do that, too. I wanted him to have a good fight when he came back.
“In my last fight I didn’t live up to expectations, I made some mistakes, I could have improved on some things, but unfortunately I had to take some time off because I got injured, so I had to shake it off.
“But I started training actually two days after I lost the fight, so I was in the gym from then on until I got over the injury.
“I’m looking forward to getting back into the game, I want to test myself and have a proper fight, not put in so much time training to fight someone I know I can beat.”
Masson says the elbow injuries that plagued his career are now a thing of the past since he underwent successful surgery to remove several of the affected bones.
“I broke a few bones in my elbow again during the Turchi fight,” said Masson, who hails from the regional town of Te Awamutu in the Waikato region on Recent Zealand’s north island
“Going into camp before my last fight, I couldn’t even brush my teeth. I was in pain. I went in and had surgery – the third one I’ve had on my elbow – and now I should be fine.
“I came back to camp and it was amazing to be able to throw with both hands 100 percent and block throws with my hand. It was really cold.”
So can we expect a calmer and more focused Masson in the ring against Francis?
“I say that in every damn fight, so I almost don’t want to say it,” he said. “Because in camp I’m going to box really well and I’m not going to get hit, I’m going to do my thing and I’m going to box really nicely. And as soon as the fight happens, I’m going to do the opposite of what I’m saying. So I probably should say, ‘I’m going to fight this fight,’ and that probably means I’m going to box really nicely.”
“But it’s about discipline and supporting your skills. Then, instead of immediately getting hit and trying to make a fight out of it, I can make it a lot easier on myself if I stick to my game plan and box and not make it a ‘my turn, his turn’ fight.”
MMA6 months ago
Interviews1 month ago
Interviews1 month ago
MMA6 months ago
MMA6 months ago
Boxing4 months ago
Interviews6 months ago
Opinions & Features2 months ago