“I was ranked number one in the same division at the time that he had it,” Mason said. “So he lost it. I am still here at 135.”
Mason isn’t lobbing accusations of ducking or demanding a showdown. He is stating a fact about positioning. 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 question about his durability.
If there was a window for Mason and Davis to meet at lightweight, it was open. Mason believes the fight failed to materialize for reasons that had nothing to do with his own willingness.
“You hear everybody saying what they saying, but they going this way,” he said. “Moving up, moving up. They are going to look back and say this. They going that way and they saying it something this way. So I hope they do well.”
Mason views the talk about what might have been as irrelevant. He dismissed the notion that weight was the only hurdle.
“If something was there, it would have happened already,” he said.
This isn’t typical trash talk. It is a 21-year-old champion asserting his permanence. Mason speaks like a man in total control of his timeline. He feels no need to hunt for a rival who chose a different weight class. His focus remains 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 is a dangerous assignment for a young champion. Cordina is a seasoned former titleholder moving up in weight to reestablish his standing. By taking on such an experienced opponent, Mason proves he isn’t just sitting on a belt. He wants the hardest fights available at 135.
His hunger for a real test is obvious.
“That is me. I got an appetite for smoke,” he said.
His recent victory over Noakes backs up that claim. Mason did not play it safe. He traded shots, handled adversity, and adjusted over 12 hard rounds. That experience likely served him better than a quick knockout would have, proving he can thrive in deep waters.
A brief moment from this week also highlighted the cold reality between him and Davis. Mason confirmed they were both in the same building recently.
“Yeah, he was around.”
When asked if Davis spoke to him, the answer was short.
“No, he ain’t say nothing.”
Mason did not try to turn the encounter into a headline. He noted the silence and moved on. It fits his overall approach. No staged drama or public arguments exist here. Just two fighters moving in opposite directions, while one stays behind to hold down the fort at lightweight.
While Mason acknowledges he will eventually move up, he views it as a natural progression rather than an escape.
“When I move up, I am going to get my titles,” he said. “I am going to be there wherever I am at.”
For now, he is the anchor of the lightweight division. He isn’t shouting for relevance or trying to rewrite the past. He is standing his ground at 135 and inviting anyone left in the weight class to meet him. If he continues to turn back high-level challengers, the debate over who stayed and who left will be settled by the history books.
