The unbeaten WBO champion spoke calmly about Davis this week, but his message hit home. Mason noted that he held the highest rating within the division while Davis was still campaigning at lightweight. Since then, the paths have diverged. Mason stayed put, claimed the belt, and now rules the burden class.
“I used to be ranked primary in the identical division on the time that he had it,” Mason said. “So he lost it. I’m still here at 135.”
Mason isn’t lobbing accusations of ducking or demanding a showdown. He’s stating a fact about where they stand. When the title was available, he was there to take it. He secured the belt with a 12 round decision over Sam Noakes in November, a grueling performance where he answered every query about his durability.
If there was a window for Mason and Davis to satisfy at lightweight, it was open. Mason believes the fight did not occur for reasons that had nothing to do together with his own willingness.
“You hear everybody saying what they saying, but they going this fashion,” he said. “Moving up, moving up. They’re going to look back and say this. They going that way and so they saying it something this fashion. So I hope they do well.”
Mason views the speak about what may need been as irrelevant. He doesn’t buy the excuse that weight was the one thing stopping the fight.
“If something was there, it could have happened already,” he said.
This isn’t typical trash talk. It’s a 21-year-old champion, making it clear he isn’t going anywhere. Mason speaks like a person in total control of his timeline. He feels no must hunt for a rival who selected a special weight class. His focus stays locked on the 135-pound limit and his upcoming responsibilities as a titleholder.
Mason expects to defend his title around April against mandatory challenger Joe Cordina. It’s a dangerous task for a young champion. Cordina is a seasoned former titleholder moving up in weight to get his profession back on the right track. By taking up such an experienced opponent, Mason proves he isn’t just sitting on a belt. He wants the toughest fights available at 135.
His hunger for an actual test is clear.
“That’s me. I got an appetite for smoke,” he said.
His recent victory over Noakes backs up that claim. Mason didn’t play it protected. He traded shots, handled adversity, and adjusted over 12 hard rounds. That have likely served him higher than a fast knockout would have, proving he can thrive in deep waters.
A transient moment from this week also highlighted the cold reality between him and Davis. Mason confirmed they were each in the identical constructing recently.
“Yeah, he was around.”
When asked if Davis spoke to him, the reply was short.
“No, he ain’t say nothing.”
Mason didn’t attempt to turn the encounter right into a headline. He noted the silence and moved on. It matches his overall approach. No staged drama or public arguments exist here. Just two fighters moving in opposite directions, while one stays behind to carry down the fort at lightweight.
While Mason acknowledges he’ll eventually move up, he views it as a natural step quite than an exit strategy.
“After I move up, I’m going to get my titles,” he said. “I’m going to be there wherever I’m at.”
For now, he isn’t begging for attention or attempting to rewrite the past. He’s standing his ground at 135 and welcoming anyone left in the burden class to satisfy him. If he continues to show back high-level challengers, the controversy over who stayed and who left can be settled by the history books.
