Bozy Ennis Believes Rising Stars Andy Cruz, Abdullah Mason Will Face Off One Day
Jun 18, 2025
1 min read
Mason, 21, has been cold-blooded over the years. If he isn’t knocking his opponents out, he easily outboxes them. Although all of his appearances played a part in building him up, his most recent performance placed him in another stratosphere.
Derek “Bozy” Ennis has seen enough fighters to know who’s got it and who doesn’t.
Abdullah Mason, according to him, has whatever “it” actually means.
“That’s my young boy,” Ennis told The Ring recently. “I like him.”
Mason, 21, has been cold-blooded over the years. If he isn’t knocking his opponents out, he easily outboxes them. Although all of his appearances played a part in building him up, his most recent performance placed him in another stratosphere.
Originally selected to be the co-main event, Mason (19-0, 17 KOs) was pushed into the spotlight on June 7. Keyshawn Davis receives the lion's share of the credit thanks to his failure to make weight.
Jeremia Nakathila, who’s given a number of opponents hell, was expected to provide Mason with a few hard rounds. That, apparently, was asking too much.
Nakathila had nothing. Once Mason smelled blood, he finished him off in the fifth. That win now has him positioned to fight for his first world title.
With Davis forced to drop his WBO lightweight crown, the sanctioning body officially ordered Mason, their No. 2 contender, to face Sam Noakes. The particulars of a deal will take weeks if not months to solidify, but Ennis is interested in seeing how things shake out.
Ennis believes Mason has a good shot at winning, but Noakes won’t be his biggest threat.
Andy Cruz, who Ennis has guided to 6-0, is on the verge of his own title shot. Similarly to Mason, Cruz made it look easy in his latest ring appearance, stopping Hironori Mishiro in the fifth round.
Now, Cruz sits as the mandatory challenger to the IBF title held by Raymond Muratalla.
It’s too early to think about unifications. Both men have work to do. Ennis believes that a meeting between them is inevitable. And, when that day does arrive, it’ll be fireworks.
“I think that’ll be a great fight. He’s a great fighter.”
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