Abdullah Mason might’ve needed the adversity he emphatically overcame 11 months ago.

Only two of his first 15 professional fights went the distance. One of boxing’s top prospects hadn’t encountered much resistance, either, on his way to knocking out 13 opponents by the time he encountered Yohan Vasquez on November 8 at Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.

When Vasquez’s left hook shockingly sent him to the canvas just 48 seconds into their 10-round fight, Mason suddenly needed to apply a lot of what Valiant Mason, his father and trainer, taught him. The composed Cleveland native dropped Vasquez with a vicious left uppercut only 33 seconds later, but the dangerous Dominican veteran caught Mason with another left hook that knocked him down again with 1:03 on the clock in the opening round.

Mason again recovered quickly from that second flash knockdown and composed himself on his stool between the first and second rounds. The powerful southpaw then landed a well-placed left to Vasquez’s body that temporarily immobilized him and won by knockout 1:59 into the second round.

Mason (19-0, 17 KOs) recalled during a recent appearance on “Inside The Ring” how he used the lessons learned that night to navigate his way to his first world title fight against England’s Sam Noakes next month. The 21-year-old lightweight contender has won each of his three bouts by knockout or technical knockout since his comeback victory over Vasquez.

“The knockdown just added to my game, because it added more polish,” Mason told co-hosts Max Kellerman and Mike Coppinger and panelist LeSean McCoy. “It allowed me to realize that I do have a lot more to go. You know, all I gotta do is listen to my corner, you know, take my time, you know, watch my opponent.

“And that’s one thing that fight taught me – just keep my eyes on my opponent at all times. Especially in the pros, anything can happen [against] anybody. Especially, you know, you're fighting a power puncher, you know, anything can be a power punch. Anything can knock you down, so just keep my eyes open.”

Mason’s emphasis on defensive focus should help him when he faces the hard-hitting Noakes (17-0, 15 KOs) on November 22 at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Their 12-round fight for the vacant WBO lightweight title will be part of “The Ring IV: Night of Champions” card that DAZN Pay-Per-View will distribute in the United States ($59.99) and United Kingdom (£24.99).

Noakes’ knockout ratio (88 percent) is almost the same as Mason’s (89 percent), but Mason now knows how he’ll react if he gets dropped in a fight, rather than how he thinks he’ll respond. Before he faced Vasquez (26-6, 21 KOs), Mason hadn’t been down in a combined 94 amateur and pro bouts.

“I feel like [inexperience was] all it was,” Mason said of what led to the first knockdown. “You know, everything it taught me was something I’ve already heard, and it’s something I already knew. But, you know, as much as I hate to say it, you know, I kinda had to go through it to actually see it, you know, to take my time and keep my eyes on my opponent. And that’s all that was – it was something that it just added to my poise. …

"I have a lot to my game, as young as I am in the sport, and that just added to it. So, you know, it’s only up. Every time I step in the ring I’m getting better and better.”