ABDULLAH MASON-JEREMIA NAKATHILA ESPN’S CO-FEATURE ON KEYSHAWN DAVIS-EDWIN DE LOS SANTOS CARD JUNE 7 IN NORFOLK
Abdullah Mason will return to the site of the most eye-opening night of his career for his next fight.
The Ring has learned that the undefeated lightweight contender will face heavy-handed veteran Jeremia Nakathila on June 7 at Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.
The bout between Cleveland’s Mason (18-0, 16 KOs) and Namibia’s Nakathila (26-4, 21 KOs) will be broadcast as the co-feature of an ESPN telecast that will showcase WBO lightweight champ Keyshawn Davis and Dominican contender Edwin De Los Santos in the main event in Davis’ hometown.
The highly touted Mason was dropped twice in the first round by Dominican veteran Yohan Vasquez in their fight on the Davis-Gustavo Lemos undercard November 8 at Scope Arena. Mason recovered from those two knockdowns, sent Vasquez to the canvas twice, once apiece in the first and second rounds, and won their fantastic firefight by second-round knockout.
The poised, powerful, skillful Mason has won his two bouts inside the distance since the southpaw’s victory over Vasquez (26-6, 21 KOs).
The 21-year-old contender stopped Stockton, California’s Manuel Jaimes (16-3-1, 11 KOs) in the fourth round on the Davis-Denys Berinchyk undercard February 14 in The Theater at Madison Square Garden in his first fight after he came back to knock out Vasquez.
Six weeks later, Mason floored Mexico’s Carlos Ornelas (28-5, 15 KOs) three times and beat him by technical knockout at the end of the sixth round March 29 at Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
Mason will be a heavy favorite to beat Nakathila, though Nakathila’s power will at least bring some intrigue to their matchup.
Nakathila lost back-to-back bouts by knockout to lightweight contender Raymond Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) and junior welterweight prospect Ernesto “Tito” Mercado (17-0, 16 KOs) in 2023. The 35-year-old Nakathila has since won three straight fights in the Namibian capital of Windhoek, where Nakathila has worked full-time as a police officer.
Before his successive stoppage losses to Muratalla and Mercado, Nakathila battered former junior lightweight champion Miguel Berchelt (then 38-2) on his way to a TKO win after the sixth round in March 2022.
The card headlined by Davis-De Los Santos will be officially announced at a press conference Friday afternoon in Norfolk.
