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Abdullah Mason vs Albert Bell Results: Mason Storms Back to Notch First Title Defense

The Cleveland native successfully defended his title in his hometown with a controversial 12th-round stoppage
Jaren Kawada|
Abdullah Mason
Abdullah Mason | Courtesy: Top Rank

Even with a late knockout win over Albert Bell to successfully defend the WBO lightweight title, Abdullah Mason did not get what he came for in his hometown championship fight.

Mason, the youngest male world champion at 22, fell down on the scorecards early and looked lost through five rounds as the older and fundamentally sound Bell kept him out of rhythm. Bell looked like he was about to pull off the massive upset with the perfect game plan, and the restless crowd appeared to already be losing hope.

But as soon as the sixth round ended, Mason came out firing like a cannon as if he was saving himself for the second half. The champion turned the tide by targeting Bell's long torso with brutal body shots while sporadically landing power punches upstairs.

Mason v Bell
Mason v Bell | Courtesy: Top Rank

Bell's nose began to bleed and show visible damage by the eighth round while his cardio started to fail him. After dictating the pace of the fight with his jab and right hand in the early rounds, the challenger hid behind a shell late and barely threw any punches.

Abdullah Mason stops Albert Bell in 12th round for massive comeback

By the 10th round, Bell turned himself into a punching bag and had nothing left to keep the relentless Mason off him. The dam finally broke in the 12th round, when Mason blitzed and scored a knockdown as soon as the referee restarted the action. Bell hit the canvas for a second time 30 seconds later, seemingly out of exhaustion, prompting the referee to jump in and stop the fight without even counting.

The DAZN and TNT Sports commentary crew blasted the stoppage as premature, especially with Bell potentially ahead on the scorecards. Regardless, the gassed-out Bell would have needed a miracle to make it to the end of the round even if the fight continued.

Two of Mason's brothers, Ibrahim and Abdurrahim, each earned victories early in the prelims. The Mason family completed the sweep to go 3-0 on the night in their hometown.

Bell, who stepped in on less than two weeks' notice in place of Joe Cordina, suffered the first loss of his 30-fight professional career.

Bruce Carrington survives late scare against Rene Palacios

Bruce Carrington
Bruce Carrington | Courtesy: Top Rank

Like Mason, Bruce Carrington notched his first title defense in the co-main event with a performance he will likely look back on with discontent. 'Shu Shu' dominated the majority of his 126-pound title fight with Rene Palacios but did hit the canvas late.

Carrington's blip was not ruled a knockdown, even if a punch sent him to a knee. Referee Harvey Dock instead called it a slip.

Carrington continued winning rounds with his speed from the outside before enduring another scare in the 11th round, when Palacios nailed him with a couple of punishing body shots. The champion clearly doubled over in pain but had enough in the tank to skirt around the edge of the ring and survive to the final bell.

The end result was not as clean as it could have been for Carrington, even if he did dominate almost every other moment of the fight. He failed to please the Cleveland crowd with his unanimous decision victory.

Abdullah Mason vs Albert Bell results

  • Abdullah Mason def. Albert Bell by TKO in Round 12 (0:45), for the WBO lightweight title
  • Bruce Carrington def. Rene Palacios by unanimous decision (118-110, 117-111, 116-112), for the WBC featherweight title
  • Delante Johnson def. Christopher Guerrero by unanimous decision (100-92, 99-91, 99-91), welterweight
  • Deric Davis def. Carlos Ramos by unanimous decision (78-74, 78-74, 77-75), lightweight
  • Ibrahim Mason def. Erik Hanley by TKO in Round 2 (1:59), junior lightweight
  • Abdurrahim Mason def. Alvaro Huizar Cabral by unanimous decision (40-36, 40-36, 40-36), lightweight
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Jaren Kawada
JAREN KAWADA

Jaren Kawada is a combat sports writer who specializes in betting, with over five years of experience in boxing and MMA. When he is not covering the sport, Kawada is an avid MMA, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing practitioner. Kawada has previous bylines with ClutchPoints, Sportskeeda MMA, BetSided and FanSided MMA. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Kawada has a B.A. in Sports Media from Butler University and now resides in Denver, Colorado.

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