Kicking off fight week in Cleveland, Ohio, Abdullah Mason and Albert Bell showcased their skills and faced off at an open workout. The two fighters square off on Saturday, July 4, at the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University.
- Cleveland-based southpaw Mason (20-0, 17 KOs) makes the first defense of his WBO lightweight title. The 22-year-old champion from Bedford, Ohio, claimed the vacant belt last November, defeating Sam Noakes by unanimous decision.
- Bell (28-0, 9 KOs) makes his first attempt to become a champion, taking the fight on short notice as a replacement for Joe Cordina of Wales. The 33-year-old Toledo native was scheduled to face Andy Cruz in an IBF title eliminator two weeks later but stepped in to challenge Mason for the title.
The open workout at Zelma George Recreation Center in Cleveland, Ohio, also featured the fighters competing on the Mason vs Bell undercard.
Bruce Carrington (17-0, 10 KOs) of Brooklyn makes the first defense of his WBC featherweight title against Mexico’s Rene Palacios (19-0-1, 10 KOs).
A welterweight bout pits Cleveland’s Delante “Tiger” Johnson (17-0, 8 KOs) against Canada-based Mexican Christopher Guerrero (16-0, 9 KOs).
Also on the card is a lightweight matchup between Deric Davis (11-0, 10 KOs) of Fort Washington, Maryland, and Carlos Ramos (18-4-1, 10 KOs) of Spain by way of Ecuador.
Plus, Abdullah Mason’s brothers, Abdurrahman Mason (2-0, 2 KOs) and Ibrahim Mason (2-0, 2 KOs), face Alvaro Huizar Cabral (1-0) of Denver, Colorado, and Erik Hanley (1-2, 1 KO) of Oceanside, New York, in lightweight and super featherweight bouts, respectively.