'Ring IV' took place on Saturday (or very early Sunday morning in Saudi Arabia) from the ANB Arena, and it saw some elite names shine, and a talented young boxer earn his first world title the hard way. Overall, it was a good card, whether it was worth $60 or the 'Ultimate' subscription, you can decide, but it was worth the watch.
Some thoughts on what I saw...
- I've been high on the talent of Abdullah Mason since the day he turned pro in 2021 as a teenager. But you never really know how good a fighter is until he faces a bit of adversity. He hit the deck twice against Yohan Vasquez last November but he was able to stop him in two. It left you wondering about his punch resistance.
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He was matched against the relatively unknown Sam Noakes for the WBO lightweight title that was lost on the scales several months ago by Keyshawn Davis. In my previous column I described the Brit as being, ''strong and sturdy'', which proved to be true as he not only stood up to the fast and flashy attack of Mason, but was able to land some heavy blows on him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozv7O1DLMcs
But Mason simply had a bit more in terms of speed and power, and he showed a certain resilience throughout this hard-fought contest. He didn't just show talent against the hard-nosed Noakes, but toughness and tenacity. There is steak to go with this sizzle. Yet it must be said, he has some defensive flaws to fix moving forward.
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After 12 rounds Mason was announced as the winner by the scores of 115-113(twice) and 117-111. He didn't just win a title versus Noakes, he was forged in the process. This was gut check, and he passed with flying colors.
- Let's get this clear, any pound-for-pound list that does not include Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez in the top five, is not one to be taken seriously. Yeah, I get it, the likes of Terence Crawford, Oleksandr Usyk and Naoya Inoue have earned their places at the top of these mythical lists given their longevity and overall achievements. No argument from me in that regard.
But nobody has the resume' of any fighter at age 25 (or below) that this cunning southpaw from San Antonio does. He added to it by further unifying the 115-pound division by systematically taking apart Fernando Martinez in 10 rounds to add the WBA belt to his vast collection. He already has the WBC and WBO super flyweight straps in his trophy case.
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This was classic Rodriguez, who was sharp like a scalpel early on as he conducted surgery on the rugged Argentine whose durability was his greatest asset on this night. But finally, the sledgehammer was dropped by Rodriguez who ended things in emphatic fashion in round 10.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0EbPx11wm8
Rodriguez has a dizzying array of spins and pivots, with every punch in the catalog that is delivered with precision. He gets you drunk, and then he robs you. There aren't very many truly elite fighters in the sport, but make no doubt, 'Bam' is one of them.
- Back in early May as Devin Haney employed the 'four corners' offense as if he was coached by the great Dean Smith, you wonder if he would ever regain his mojo. Coming off that tainted loss to Ryan Garcia in 2024, it raised questions about not only his punch resistance, but his mental state. Was he a damaged boxer?
He was anything but as he out-classed Brian Norman to win the WBO welterweight belt. Don't let the scores deceive you (114-114. 116-111 and 117-110), this was a decisive victory for Norman. He sent Norman to the canvas in the second, and then was able to tame the athletic but raw Norman for much of this contest. Norman who had scored a series of big KO's coming into this contest was exposed a bit for the underdeveloped athlete he was.
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What was striking was just how strong and fresh Haney looked at 147. In years past, he tortured himself to squeeze down in weight classes below welterweight. Many modern day boxers with the advent of the day-before weigh-ins play the game of making a certain weight limit and then using what is now a 36-hour window to replenish their systems to a point where they are two or three weight classes heavier than the ones they came in at.
Oftentimes, these fighters look like prisoners of war as they hit the scales and then hope they can overpower their opponents with sheer size and bulk the next evening. At times it works, but at other times you have a point of diminishing returns. Haney may have found himself as a welterweight.
- In the main event, David Benavidez defended his WBC light heavyweight title by scoring a seventh round stoppage of Anthony Yarde. It was classic Benavidez. He came forward, threw punches, shrugged off anything that came in his direction and then simply overwhelmed his foe. He's more relentless than than an IRS audit.
You always get one thing with Benavidez -- a fight.
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And what more can you ask for than that. My only quibble with him is that he doesn't fight more often. Like just about everyone else at the world-class level nowadays he performs twice-a-year. But still, he does have 31 bouts under his belt at age 28 and more big fights in front of him
One of which he announced in the immediate aftermath of his latest conquest. Benavidez will be facing unified cruiserweight champion, Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez, in May. (Which will talk about more in my next column.)
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