Top Rank Undercard Results: Abdullah Mason Steals Hearts

On Friday’s Top Rank Boxing undercard from the Theatre at Madison Square Garden, Abdullah Mason stole the hearts of fans on Valentine’s Day with the kind of performance that gets boxing lovers excited about his future.

Impressive lightweight prospect Mason of Cleveland (17-0, 15 KOs) is not far from graduating to contender status. Mason’s performance was the clear highlight on the undercard at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, showing the maturity of a fighter far older than 20 years old. Mason scored three knockdowns on the way to a fourth-round TKO win over Manual Jaimes of Stockton, California (16-3-1, 11 KOs).

Mason learned from a rocky outing in his last bout when he was caught and knocked down twice in the first round before coming back for a second-round TKO win over veteran Yohan Vasquez of the Dominican Republic.

Trainer/father Valiant Mason said training focused on re-establishing the jab, and Mason’s is a stinging sharp shot he put to good use. “Everything we talked about after the last fight, we executed,” said Valiant Mason.

Asked whether it was his best jab to date, Abdullah Mason said, “Possibly, so far. But I’ve got a lot more. The more they give me, the more I put out.”

Mason first got Jaimes’ attention with a check left hook behind the jab in round one. He repeated the sequence in round two but stepped back when Jaimes tried to counter and scored the first knockdown with a left uppercut.

Mason used the uppercut again and followed with a right hook to the chest for the second impressive knockdown. Credit to Jaimes, who got up and did his best to fight back. But Mason was calm, in complete control of the fight, and in no rush.

Mason waited until the fourth round to seize the opportunity when he dropped Jaimes early with a left hook. It was time to give the fans a big finale. Mason used two right hooks in a row to end the fight with a fourth knockdown and referee stoppage at 1:55 of the round.

“We want the belts,” said Mason after his victory. Mason said he’ll “keep doing what I’m doing, and making these guys look like I have been since I turned pro.”

Mason pointed out that he is currently ranked 15th in the WBC and 13th in the WBO. His goal is a title opportunity before the end of 2025, and it will be fun to watch him work toward it.

Rohan Polanco Sends Torres Packing In Two Rounds

Welterweight Rohan Polanco of the Dominican Republic (15-0, 10 KOs) went about his business efficiently and effectively, scoring a TKO victory in the second round over Juan Carlos Torres of Puerto Rico (22-2, 7 KOs). Polanco dropped Torres twice in round one. The first came from a left hook to the temple, and the second was from a lead straight to the right. Polanco continued to rattle and wobble Polanco, capped by a hard left hook. Referee Eddie Claudio had seen enough and moved in to save Torres.

Polanco is the fighter your smart boxing friends know about, and you will know about soon. He resembles Artur Beterbiev in his heavy-handed, no-frills approach. Polanco wins the WBO Intercontinental Welterweight title, positioning himself as a mandatory challenger to full champion Brian Norman Jr.  

Juanmita Lopez De Jesus Delivers Flashy Pro Debut

Juanmita Lopez De Jesus won’t forget his first pro fight under the lights at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden. Winding up and landing a single vicious shot, Lopez De Jesus (1-0, 1 KO) took out Bryan Santiago of Welasco, Texas (1-2-1) before he could throw a single punch.

Lopez De Jesus, the son of beloved Puerto Rican knockout artist and two-division world champion Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez, made his father proud, firing up a single looping left hook to blast Santiago across the ring. Santiago was frozen on his back, ending the fight.

Keon Davis Adds Second Win

Welterweight Keon Davis of Norfolk (2-0), the younger brother of Keyshawn, got the night off to a good start for the Davis family with a win over Ira Johnson of Missouri (3-3, 2 KOs).

Jared Anderson Wins, Nico Ali Walsh Drops Majority Decision

It was a rough night for the first two fighters on the card trying to bounce back.

Heavyweight Jared Anderson of Toledo (18-1, 15 KOs) got the victory by decision over Marios Kollias of Greece (12-4-1, 10 KOs) in an uninspired performance by someone who didn’t look like he wanted to be there.

Yes, the scores were wide at 99-91, 99-91, and 98-92. Anderson needed to deliver more after his devastating knockout loss to Martin Bakole last August.

Nico Ali Walsh of Las Vegas (11-2, 5 KOs) lost a majority decision to Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. in their six-round middleweight bout. Walsh simply couldn’t muster the offense needed, and the fight wasn’t as close as the 58-56 scores for Guerra Jr. and the single 58-56 card for Walsh. He will need to reconsider how far his famous heritage as the grandson of Muhammad Ali will take him.