Abdullah Mason might be the United States' most interesting prospect-turned contender as the buzz continues to build after Saturday at The Pearl Concert Theater in Palms Casino in Las Vegas. 

Mason, who fights at lightweight, stopped Carlos Orlenas in the sixth-round, when Orlenas couldn’t answer the bell for the seventh round. Orlenas took the fight on two-week’s notice. In the process, Mason won regional titles from the WBC and WBO, which moves him up in the rankings. Mason held both belts above his head while talking to the media stating he was “a step closer.” The implication is that a world title is near for the young phenom.

Mason, now 18-0 (16 KOs), is waiting for the moment to test himself against the best.

“We want the title soon so we are stepping it up,” Mason said. “There is always room for improvement, that is what this showed me as well. I did great, he was a durable opponent.”

Valiant Mason, Abdullah’s father, echoed the sentiment while giving a concise assessment of his son’s performance.
“It was beautiful,” Valiant told BoxingScene of his son’s performance. “Always can do better.”

Mason, a 21-year-old from Cleveland, Ohio, had the biggest media scrum of the evening, and the crowd sang him “Happy Birthday” after his win. Mason reflected on his rising stardom in the sport:

“It is only a matter of time,” Mason said. “Bob [Arum] told me right after the fight to stay focused and you will be the face of boxing.”

Mason stopped Orlenas, 28-5 (15 KOs), a 33-fight veteran, who had gone 10 rounds losing a unanimous decision to now featherweight titleholder Rafael Espinoza in 2021. Mason reflected on Orlenas, a 30-year-old from Rosarito, who toughed it out until he couldn’t.

“We take them how they come and we get the job done,” Mason said. “He was a little bit more durable than I thought. Those veterans are always going to be like that, they will be durable and come prepared.”