Abdullah Mason’s father/trainer, Valiant Mason, wanted him to use his legs and skills to outbox Sam Noakes on Saturday night.

His smoke-seeking son had another plan – to outslug the gutsy, rugged contender in their 12-round fight for the vacant WBO lightweight title. A determined Mason dug deep, withstood Noakes’ brutal body attack and outfought the previously unbeaten Brit to win a unanimous decision on “The Ring IV: Night of the Champions” card at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Judges Benoit Rousel (117-111), Danrex Tapdasan (115-111) and Leszek Jankowiak (115-111) all scored their fan-friendly dogfight for Cleveland’s Mason.

Mason, 21, became boxing’s youngest current male world champion and boxed beyond the sixth round for the first time. Noakes, 28, was denied in the first world title fight of his six-year pro career.

Mason (20-0, 17 KOs) took the fight to Noakes (17-1, 15 KOs) throughout the 12th round, when he hammered Noakes with body and head shots and took Noakes’ best shots until the final bell.

Mason and Noakes took turns nailing each other with flush punches to the head during the final action-packed minute of the 11th round. Noakes’ right to the body made Mason move away from him with about a minute to go in the 11th round.

Mason’s right uppercut to Noakes’ body knocked him off balance with about 35 seconds to go in the 10th round. Mason tried to finish his vulnerable opponent, but the courageous Noakes withstood Mason’s attack and made it to the 11th round.

Noakes caught Mason with a left from the inside a few seconds after the halfway point of the 10th round.

Valiant Mason, Abdullah’s father and trainer, was happier with his work in the ninth round than in prior rounds. He used his jab and turned Noakes while he landed head shots.

Mason’s left to Noakes’ body hurt him just before the midway mark of the eighth round. He continued to attack Noakes’ body later in the eighth round, when backed Noakes into the ropes and landed a left hand up top.

Mason, affected by Noakes’ body work, went to his opponent’s body in the second half of the seventh round. They then traded flush punches to the head in the final minute of the seventh.

Noakes’ left to the body made Mason move away from him a little less than 40 seconds into the seventh round.

Mason backed up Noakes with a left hand barely a minute into the sixth round. He slipped several of Noakes’ right hands later in the sixth.

Noakes right snapped back Mason’s head and wowed the crowd with just over a minute left on the clock in the fifth round. The gutsy Noakes continued to bleed badly from the cut above his left eye in that round.

Noakes went to Mason’s body in the second half of the fourth round to try to slow him down. Noakes nailed Mason with a right hand after Mason threw a punch earlier in the fourth.

A left uppercut by Mason knocked Noakes backward with just over 2:10 on the clock in the third round. An accidental clash of heads caused a cut over Noakes’ left eye soon thereafter as well.

Noakes’ right connected with just over 20 seconds remaining in the second round.

A straight left by Mason buckled Noakes’ legs a few seconds before the midway mark of the second round. Noakes moved Mason into the ropes and landed a hard right with just under two minutes to go in the second round.

Noakes’ right landed over Mason’s left glove late in the first round. A right uppercut by Noakes penetrated Mason’s guard with just over 40 seconds on the clock in the first round.

Noakes landed two rights in the middle minute of the first round. Neither punch hurt Mason, but both shots showed a need to tighten his defense.

Mason, the WBO’s No. 1 contender, and the second-ranked Noakes fought for a 135-pound championship that was stripped from Keyshawn Davis five months ago.

The undefeated Davis came in 4.3 pounds overweight June 6 for an optional title defense against Dominican southpaw Edwin De Los Santos. The bout between Davis and De Los Santos, scheduled for June 7 at Scope Arena in Davis’ hometown of Norfolk, Virginia, was canceled on short notice because De Los Santos’ former promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, thought it was unsafe for him once the heavier Davis didn’t drain himself to make weight.

CompuBox Stats: An incredible war between Mason and Noakes. Mason landed 214 of 566, 38% total punches while Noakes landed 156 of 613, 25%. Mason held a 158 to 138 connect advantage in power punches and a 51 to 40 connect advantage on body punches. Scores were 117-111 and 115-113 twice.