LAS VEGAS – Abdullah Mason celebrated his 21st birthday in style Saturday night here at the Pearl Theater at the Palms Casino and Hotel.

Mason, of Cleveland, notched a sixth-round technical knockout over Carlos Orlenas, of Bahia Ascension, Mexico, when referee Raul Caiz Jnr determined Orlenas was unfit to continue. The official time of stoppage was 3 minutes of the sixth. Orlenas took the fight on two weeks’ notice when Giovanni Cabrera, Mason's original opponent, pulled out of the fight.

The first round was uneventful as a feel-out round. Mason began to unleash in the second round as he landed a well-timed overhand left that connected cleanly on Orlenas’ chin. Orlenas took a knee after the shot. After taking an eight-count, Orlenas immediately got up and continued to fight. Mason landed another straight left and the referee appeared ready to intervene when the 10-second warning sounded to conclude the round.

Mason pressured, but Orlenas proved to be a crafty veteran. Mason forced Orlenas to a knee again in the neutral corner at the end of Round 4 when Orlenas tried to punch with Mason. Mason unleashed a flurry of punches as Orlenas took a knee again to preserve himself in Round 6. A cut that had opened over the right eye of Orlenas could be seen as he went back to his corner. The bout was called off before the start of the seventh round when the referee deemed Orlenas could not continue. After the fight, the crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to Mason – a fitting end to a milestone moment in his career.

Mason, 21, moved to 18-0 (16 KOs). Ornelas, 30, is now 28-5 (15 KOs).

Featherweight Albert “Chop Chop” Gonzalez, of Moreno Valley, California, won an eight-round unanimous decision over Dana Coolwell, of Beerwah, Australia. The scores were 77-75, 78-74 and 80-72.

Gonzalez tactically pressed forward early, attacking Coolwell’s body. Coolwell, who took Bruce Carrington the distance in his previous outing, proved a challenging target to hit. Gonzalez landed right hands to Coolwell’s head and left hooks to the body in Round 7, the most telling action of the fight. Gonzalez controlled the bout, gaining experience in the process. Coolwell continues to add to his reputation as a tough potential spoiler for up-and-coming fighters.

Gonzalez, 22, is now 13-0 (7 KOs). The 26-year-old Coolwell, on a two-fight losing streak, fell to 13-4 (8 KOs).

Junior bantamweight Steven Navarro, of Inglewood, California, faced adversity only to rally back and secure a fourth-round technical knockout over Juan Garcia of Mexicali, Mexico. The time of stoppage was 2 minutes, 46 seconds.

Navarro controlled the early stages of the fight using distance and ring generalship, a sleepy opening three rounds that resembled a sparring session. In the fourth round, Garcia landed a right hand that forced Navarro back. The punch appeared to impact Navarro. Navarro battled off the ropes and pressed Garcia back. Garcia seemed to wake up a sleeping giant, as Navarro fought back relentlessly. The crowd roared in excitement, chanting Navarro’s name as he threw combinations. Navarro would stop Garcia in the corner, where he was unable to throw punches back. Upon the stoppage, Refugio Navarro, Navarro's co-trainer and father, climbed onto the ring apron, joyously jumping up and down.

Navarro, 21, is 6-0 (5 KOs), while Garcia, 27, fell to 14-2-2 (11 KOs).

Junior middleweight Art Barrera Jnr, of Lynwood, California, picked up a second-round technical knockout over Daijohn Gonzalez, of Davenport, Iowa. The time of stoppage was 2 minutes, 56 seconds.

Barrera dropped Gonzalez with a lead left hook in Round 2. The same punch sent Gonzalez down immediately after he got to his feet. With 10 seconds left in the round, Barrera landed another lead left hook that stumbled Gonzalez, leading referee Thomas Taylor to call off the bout.

Barrera, 19, who is trained by Robert Garcia, improved to 8-0 (6 KOs). Gonzalez, 32, fell to 12-6 (6 KOs).

Middleweight Jahi Tucker, of Deer Park, New York, won a grueling 10-round unanimous decision over Troy Williamson, of Darlington, England. The three scores were all 99-89 for Tucker.

From ringside, Tucker appeared to drop Williamson with a short punch when the latter's back was on the ropes, but the punch was ruled by the referee as a slip. At the end of Round 3, a right hand from Tucker buzzed Williamson. In the eighth, a big left hook from Tucker knocked Williamson off-balance and into the ropes, which was ruled a knockdown.

Tucker, 22, is now 14-1-1 (6 KOs) overall and undefeated at middleweight (4-0, 1 KO), his current weight class. Previously, Tucker had competed at welterweight and junior middleweight.

Williamson, 33, fell to 20-4-1 (14 KOs).

Junior lightweight DJ Zamora, of Las Vegas, earned a four-round technical knockout over Hugo Castaneda, of Reynosa, Mexico. A straight left hand from Zamora dropped Castaneda in the third round. An accumulation of shots sent Castaneda down for the second time in the round with 10 seconds left. Zamora landed a straight left hand to the chin of Castaneda, sending him to the canvas, prompting referee Raul Caiz Jnr to halt the bout. The time of the stoppage was 1 minute, 24 seconds.

Zamora, 21, is now 16-0 (11 KOs). Castaneda, 22, fell to 15-2-1 (11 KOs).

In his professional debut, junior welterweight Samuel Contreras Jnr, of Palmdale, California, earned a first-round technical knockout over Robert Jimenez, of Nampa, Idaho. A right hand followed by a left hook made Jimenez’s knees buckle in the opening round as he clinched to try to make it through the bell. But Contreras followed with a flurry of punches, forcing referee Robert Hoyle to stop the fight at 2 minutes, 16 seconds of the first.

Contreras starts 1-0 (1 KO), while Jimenez dipped to 2-3-1 (1 KO).

Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.