Abdullah Mason TKO12 Albert Bell... Abdullah Mason (21-0, 18 KOs) defended his WBO lightweight championship against Toledo native Albert Bell (28-1, 9 KOs) with a twelftth-round TKO Saturday evening in front of a hometown crowd of 10,101 at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center. The 22 year-old southpaw started quickly, connecting with left and right hands to the body, but Bell tempered his early success with sharp counters. A headbutt in the second round also caused a cut above Mason’s left eye. Nevertheless, by the middle rounds, Mason was more aggressive than ever, landing jabs and straight left hands before launching a sustained body attack in the ninth. In the final round, Mason sprinted toward Bell to finish him, scoring a knockdown. Bell recovered, but another knockdown forced referee Marc Nelson to halt the fight at :45 of the 12th round.

 

Mason said, "I feel great. 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. I want to thank him for stepping in. And thank you, Cleveland.”