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Mason vows to “cook” Noakes in a brief, brutal WBO shootout

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8 months ago

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Image: Abdullah Mason Promises to “Cook” Sam Noakes in a Short, Savage Shootout That Could Upstage the Entire Riyadh Card

Abdullah Mason says he will “cook” in his fight for the vacant WBO lightweight title against No. 2 Sam Noakes on Saturday night in their undercard slot at the ANB Arena in Riyad.

Mason (19-0, 17 KO) wants this fight to be a war and feels he has enough skills to defeat the powerful Noakes (17-0, 15 KO). The stakes of this fight are very high. Winning the WBO lightweight title would open the way for the winner to lucrative fights with Shakur Stevenson and potentially Gervonta Davis if he shows pre-retirement ambition.

Why this one steals the show

“This might be the highlight of the night,” commentator Todd Grisham said DAZN about Saturday’s fight between Abdullah Mason and Sam Noakes for the vacant WBO lightweight title.

There is a very good chance that Mason-Noakes will distract from the headliner and other fights on Saturday. Only on paper, Mason and Noakes promise to be more fascinating fights than those on the card.

Mason (21) and Noakes will be giving their all in this fight. They both know they can’t afford to box because their opponent will be fighting for a knockout.

“They know someone is going to fall. A lot of power in both players. They are guys who can punch challenging,” said Sergio Mora. “Abdullah Mason, he’s towering, skinny, but he’s fallen before. Someone gets knocked out.”

Readiness for war is in Noakes and Mason’s DNA. One of these fighters will be knocked out and there is a chance it will end early, within four rounds. They both have too much firepower not to end sooner.

Mason’s appetite for smoke

“We’ll be cooking tomorrow night. I’m craving a cigarette,” Mason said.

The concern with Mason is that he wasn’t prepared for the type of opponent he would face in Noakes. Abdullah’s promoters at Top Rank pitted him against delicate opponents throughout his four-year professional career. So this is a huge step up.

“Power and strength,” Noakes said Queensberry when asked what advantage he had over Mason. “Of course he is a very good boxer, but we will see on Saturday. I think I will shock a lot of people on Saturday night and I think there will be some respect for my name after that.”

Noakes adds power

Noakes has the power advantage in this fight. But what makes Mason hazardous is his uppercuts and long range. He goes crazy with his uppercuts and isn’t afraid to risk getting cut. The long, looping shots he throws make it challenging for opponents to track the angle of incoming fire.

“I feel like after this I will gain a huge fan base in the UK. Maybe even bigger than my fan base in the US,” Abdullah said. “I hear how committed they are to boxing and how much they love the sport. The stadiums are always packed. For me to get some of those fans on Saturday would be huge for me. It’s a great opportunity for me to get those fans.”

British stardom in Mason’s mind

For Mason to become a star in the UK, he would have to fight there regularly. It’s not enough for him to simply beat Noakes and expect him to become a national star overnight.

If he stays at the top long enough, like Canelo Alvarez, British fans will want to see him fight in gigantic numbers. It’s still too early to know whether Abdullah will be a long-term fighter in the sport and whether he’ll be able to compete above 135 pounds at 140 and 147. It’s not a good sign that Mason is already suffering from injuries against weaker fighters who aren’t top-shelf.

Last update: 21/11/2025

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Boxing

Usyk Analyzes Anthony Joshuas Performance Against Kristian Prenga After Overcoming Two Knockdowns

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24 hours ago

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July 25, 2026

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"Usyk Analyzes Anthony Joshua's Performance Against Kristian Prenga After Overcoming Two Knockdowns"

Oleksandr Usyk has shared his reaction to Anthony Joshua‘s dramatic knockout victory against Kristian Prenga.

Usyk nearly suffered his own shock defeat in May when he was pushed to the limit by kickboxing star Rico Verhoevenand two months on it was nrw teammate Joshua’s turn to come close to a massive upset loss that would have stunned the heavyweight division.

The Brit was dropped twice by massive underdog Prenga in the opening round of their clash in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, but ‘AJ’ managed to recover and record a big knockdown of his own in the second round that resulted in the stoppage victory.

Joshua and Usyk now train together, having famously had two battles for the unified world heavyweight title in 2021 and 2022, and the Ukrainian has had his say on his stablemate’s victory over Prenga.

Speaking to TalkSporttwo-time undisputed champion Usyk praised Joshua, insisting ‘AJ is back’ before predicting that Joshua will now claim a knockout win over long-term rival Tyson Fury in his next bout.

“Anthony Joshua is next undisputed champion. First round it’s a test but AJ is back.

It’s boxing, [the] big upper cut is good, it’s a knockdown. AJ [come] back and win.

“Greedy Belly [Fury] will speak now and say weak chin, Greedy Belly get out. AJ wins [against Fury], [he will] knock him out.”

Fury was victorious on Friday as he earned a seventh round retirement win against Mariusz Wach in Thailand, paving the way for the showdown against Joshua later this year.

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Jake Paul Reacts to Anthony Joshuas Stunning Victory Over Kristian Prenga After Two Early Knockdowns

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1 day ago

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July 25, 2026

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"Jake Paul Reacts to Anthony Joshua's Stunning Victory Over Kristian Prenga After Two Early Knockdowns"

Jake Paul was the last man to fight Anthony Joshua and he has now revealed his verdict on AJ’s chaotic victory over Kristian Prenga.

Joshua went up against Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturdayin a clash that was expected to be a comfortable win for the former world heavyweight champion in order to set up the long overdue battle against Tyson Fury.

Any hopes of seeing that clash were nearly ended after AJ was dropped twice in the opening round of the bout, though he was able to recover and claim the second round knockout to come out on top and prevent a stunning shock upset from taking place.

Saturday’s outing saw Joshua back in the ring for the first time since his sixth round triumph over YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul back in Decemberand now ‘The Problem Child’ himself has shared his reaction to his former rival’s victory over Prenga.

Posting on social mediaPaul praised AJ for earning the win, after returning to action following the tragic car crash he was involved in at the end of last year which took the lives of his two close friends.

“Happy for Joshua with that win after all he’s been through. Remembering Sina and Latz with this one.”

The win for Joshua should now tee up for meeting with Fury later this year, after ‘The Gypsy King’ held up his end of the bargain by also securing a win in his warm-up bout on Friday, securing a seventh round retirement win against Mariusz Wach.

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Boxing

Tony Bellew Reviews Anthony Joshuas Comeback Victory Over Kristian Prenga After Knockdown Drama

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1 day ago

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July 25, 2026

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Tony Bellew Reviews Anthony Joshua's Comeback Victory Over Kristian Prenga After Knockdown Drama

Anthony Joshua may have earned a knockout win over Kristian Prenga but the fight certainly didn’t unfold as most people expected.

Joshua was facing the Albanian in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, and it looked like a massive upset could be on the cards when he was dropped twice in the opening round.

‘AJ’ was able to recover and went on to secure a second round knockout victory to prevent the shock lossseemingly paving the way for the battle against Tyson Fury later this year.

One man who was ringside to witness the battle was former cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellewand he praised Joshua’s ability to turn things around in the fight after describing it as ‘chaos’.

“We predicted round two but I don’t think we foresaw that. That was chaos. He doesn’t see the uppercut coming and finds himself on the floor without knowing how he got there.

“The second one he did see it coming and he was able to clench down on the jaw. He got up and then the experience that he has he used tonight because he tied him up. Against Andy Ruiz he didn’t know what he was doing and didn’t know how to do that, but tonight he did.

“He showed once again there is no quit. To be that hurt in the first round and get up, that’s the recoveries of power. People talk about your chin, but it’s not, it’s the level of fitness that gets you up from the floor.

“When Joshua gets a fighter hurt he’s the best finisher in the division. Whenever he hurts someone they’re gone. I haven’t seen him drop anybody and they survive, only Andy Ruiz. He’s a ruthless finisher.”

The clash between Joshua and Fury is now expected to be announced soon for later this year, after Fury won his own interim fight on Friday by defeating Mariusz Wach.

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