Yesterday’s Ring IV: Night of Champions in Riyadh was a fight card so stacked it felt surreal. Under the opulent lights of the ANB Arena, we witnessed four future hall-of-famers etch their names deeper into the sweet science’s ledger. From lightweight wars to light heavyweight wreckage, this was the kind of night that leaves promoters grinning and purists preaching. Let’s dissect it, round by round, because if there’s one thing I love more than a good hook, it’s a good hook with hindsight.

Abdullah Mason’s Masterclass

Abdullah Mason, Cleveland’s own prodigy, didn’t just win the vacant WBO lightweight title against Sam Noakes—he survived a 12-round crucible that tested every fiber of his soul.  It was unanimous on the cards (116-112, 115-113 twice), but don’t let those numbers fool you; this was no cakewalk. Noakes, ever the brawler with a chin forged in Manchester mills, pressed the action like a man possessed, landing thudding body shots in the middle rounds that had Mason wincing and the crowd gasping.

Yet Mason, with his sniper’s jab and nasty footwork, turned the tide. He outboxed Noakes in the trenches, slipping haymakers and countering with precision. By the eleventh, Noakes was spent, eating combinations that shaded the round his way despite a late rally. 

After 12 rounds, it was Mason that hoisted the WBO strap, becoming boxing’s youngest active men’s world champ at 20 years and change. Noakes? He walked out with respect and rematch murmurs buzzing. The Rematch? Book it. The division needs the drama.

Bam Rodriguez enters the P4P top 5

If Mason’s fight was a chess match with fists, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez vs. Fernando “Puma” Martinez was a demolition derby. Rodriguez, the San Antonio sensation already clutching WBC and WBO super flyweight gold, entered as the favorite but exited as a three-belt tyrant, stopping Martinez in the 10th to snag the WBA strap in a unification that felt predestined. From the jump, Bam was a buzzsaw—his left hook a recurring nightmare that trapped the Argentine in the corner like a fly in amber.

Martinez clawed for counters, but Rodriguez’s output was overwhelming: 9-0 on one scorecard after five, with Puma looking “defeated” and desperate for a hail-Mary bomb. The end came mercifully in round 10, Bam’s barrage crumpling the challenger against the ropes until the ref waved it off. At 25, Rodriguez is now the man at 115.

Martinez? A valiant warrior dethroned, but this loss exposes the super flyweight pecking order: Bam’s at the top, and the view’s spectacular. Next up, for the Ring champ? The kid’s building an empire, one knockout at a time. We expect undisputed at this weight class, per Eddie Hearn. Which means Willibaldo Garcia Perez is next on the chopping block.

Devin Haney Dominates

Devin Haney didn’t just win this fight; he completely dominated Norman from the start. He was maestro silencing a rowdy orchestra. Against Brian Norman Jr., the power-punching WBO welterweight champ, Haney dropped the script of “stylish but fragile” and penned a masterpiece of dominance, cruising to a unanimous decision (114-113, 116-111, 117-110) that netted him a world title at 147, his third weight class.

In the second-round we had knockdown, and it set the tone, but it was Haney’s jab-and-fade clinic that stole the show, turning the Georgia slugger into a frustrated shadow of his self.

Norman, now 28-1, pressed the action but ate jabs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

At 26, Devin Haney (33-0) is undefeated, undisputed in skill, and a three division champion.

David Benavidez’s “Yarde sale” 

And then, the main event thunder: David Benavidez, the Mexican Monster, retaining his WBC light heavyweight crown with a seventh-round TKO over Anthony Yarde that was less a fight and more a vivisection.

Benavidez (31-0, 25 KOs) battered the Londoner from bell to bailout, his volume a vulgar verse that left Yarde (27-4) wobbling and the doc intervening after a round-five clinic (50-45 on one card). By the seventh, it was academic—hard shots, a barrage, and Yarde folded like cheap lawn furniture

This was Benavidez at his apex: 3-0 at 175, eyes on Bivol or Beterbiev, but looking every bit the lineal heir apparent.  Yarde? Tough as nails, but outclassed, his power neutered by Benavidez’s pressure. The “Mexican Monster” moniker? Earned anew. Light heavyweight’s got a bully now, and he’s collecting tolls.

The Ring Magazine Delivers

In the end, Ring IV wasn’t just results; it was revelation. Mason’s maturity, Bam’s menace, Haney’s harmony, Benavidez’s the boss—these aren’t just wins, they’re waypoints to what could be boxing’s next golden era. Riyadh’s pouring oil on the flames, but it’s the fighters fanning them. Here’s to the next card: May it be as brutal, beautiful, and borderline bonkers. Because in the ring, as in life, the only thing better than a knockout is the knowledge that tomorrow’s fight is already brewing. Ding ding.

By Vincent

Photos courtesy of The Ring Magazine