Abdullah Mason Had To Dig Deep To Defend Lightweight Crown Saturday

It wasn't an easy homecoming title defense for Abdullah Mason, but in the end the unbeaten champion wore down late replacement challenger Albert Bell and scored a dramatic 12th-round stoppage to successfully retain his WBO lightweight championship Saturday night in Cleveland.

The bout headlined the Top Rank Boxing card at the downtown Wolstein Center, where a crowd of more than 10,000 fans watched Mason overcome early adversity to keep his title.

Mason entered the fight fresh off capturing the vacant WBO lightweight title last November in Saudi Arabia with a hard-fought 12-round decision over England's Sam Noakes. His opponent changed to the veteran Bell of nearby Toledo, OH just days before fight night after Wales' Joe Cordina was unable to obtain a visa to travel to the United States. That opened the the door for Bell to get a title shot.

And, the challenger made the most of the opportunity early.

The taller Bell controlled the opening rounds with a sharp jab and accurate straight right hands, keeping Mason off balance and appearing to be firmly in command through the first four rounds.

The momentum began to shift in the middle rounds as Mason, now 21-0, 18 KOs, steadily increased his pressure. The champion attacked Bell with consistency of hard body shots and left hooks in the seventh and eighth rounds.

The 33 year old Bell was visibly fatigued and bleeding from both his nose and mouth throughout the second half of the fight, and Mason sensed that with the home crowd roaring and urging him on late in the bout.

Known more for his boxing than his power, Bell, now 28-1, entered the night with just nine knockouts in his 28 victories. And, for much of this fight, he appeared unable to hurt Mason with a single shot, instead relying on a jab and right hands that dwindled over the final six rounds.

By the time the fight reached the 12th round, Mason had rallied enough to seemingly erase Bell's early advantage and may have even pulled ahead on the scorecards. He never gave the judges the chance to decide the outcome.

Just seconds into the final round, Mason unleashed a four-punch combination, finishing with a right-left sequence along the ropes that dropped Bell to all fours. Bell beat the count, but he was clearly hurt and again, bleeding as Mason quickly closed in.

Moments later, Mason landed another punishing body shot before connecting with a clean left to Bell's face along the ropes, sending the challenger crashing to all fours for the second time in less than 40 seconds.

Veteran referee Mark Nelson immediately waved off the fight without administering a count, a decision that sparked brief controversy inside the arena. However, Bell appeared hurt enough and later acknowledged in his post-fight interview that he was "buzzed" and in trouble, but wanted to continue.

As it turned out, Mason was actually comfortably ahead by at least three points on all three official cards before the 12th round, where he scored two knockdowns. So, he was going to win the fight no matter what, if Bell didn't land a lucky punch to knock him out.

In the end, Mason's relentless pressure and late surge proved decisive as the 22-year-old champion rallied for the impressive final-round stoppage to successfully defend his lightweight title and create more leverage for possible unification future fight. 

Earlier in the evening, WBC featherweight champion Bruce "Shu Shu" Carrington of Brooklyn, New York, successfully defended his title with a unanimous 12-round decision over Mexico's Rene Palacios.

Carrington was the quicker and busier fighter throughout most of the contest, consistently landing sharp combinations and right hands to the body. Palacios offered little offense for much of the fight, but rallied over the final two rounds. He landed several effective body shots in the 11th that appeared to bother Carrington, who relied on movement and timely clinching to survive the anxious final minute or so of the 11th.

Palacios continued pressing the action in the 12th round but was unable to score a knockdown—or knockout—he needed. Carrington comfortably retained his championship by unanimous decision, winning on all three scorecards by scores of 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.

The flamboyant New Yorker got the win, kept his belt, but needs to be better with his offense and finishing fights at the higher level in the future.