It was the battle of Ohio, more specifically, Cleveland versus Toledo on the Fourth of July on Saturday night at Wolstein Center on the campus of Cleveland State University in front of 10,000-plus fans, as WBO 135-pound champion, Cleveland’s Abdullah Mason (21-0, 18 KOs), who was defending his title for the first time, battled Toledo’s Albert Bell (28-1, 9 KOs), who took the fight on 10-day notice after Joe Cordina had to withdraw from the fight due to visa issues.
For the first half of the fight, Bell was in control, and he led 4-2 on one judge’s scorecard, while two judges had it 3-3 after six rounds.
However, the second half of the fight was all Mason. He kept the pressure on Bell and dropped him twice in the 12th round; the fight was called off after the second knockdown, and Mason would successfully defend his title.
The 22-year-old Mason, the youngest champion in boxing, made adjustments, and that may have been the most impressive thing about this victory. Many young fighters enter a fight with a single game plan and can’t adjust. However, Mason adjusted with no issues, which he discussed after the win.
“I feel great,” Mason said. “We had a game plan. We were going to work the body. Then they told me I was behind on the cards, so I stepped it up and finished the fight… He’s a great opponent. I knew it was going to be a great fight. I just had to take my time.”
Mason has all the makings of being a star. He’s young, good-looking, and seems very grounded. The 33-year-old Bell, who sparred Mason many times in the past, gave him all he could handle. You could say that the stoppage was premature, which it was, and that scorecards should have been a little wider after six rounds, which they should have been, but give Mason credit, he closed the show in his hometown on a nationally televised card.
Photo: Top Rank Boxing
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