Boxing News Hall of Fame writer Graham Houston weighs up this weekend's Stateside lightweight world title fight between Abdullah Mason and Albert Bell and provides his best bets and prediction.
Abdullah Mason vs Albert Bell Tips Preview
With Joe Cordina out due to visa issues, Abdullah Mason actually faces a tougher opponent this weekend in the form of towering, undefeated Albert Bell.
Whereas Mason was a 1/10 favourite to beat Cordina, he’s only 1/4 in the fight with Bell.
The fight is a Cleveland, Ohio homecoming for Mason, who makes his first defence of the WBO lightweight title on a show that ties in with the US July 4 Independence Day celebrations.
Bell is also from the Buckeye State - Toledo in Bell’s case - but the crowd will solidly behind Mason.
Mason is only 22 but he ticks all the boxes. He is fast, dangerous and skilled, with elite-level hand speed from out of his southpaw stance. And Mason has shown he can take it as well as dish it out.
He was a US Youth champion as an amateur and he’s 20-0 (17 KOs) as a pro.
Mason has overcome adversity. The hard-hitting Yohan Vasquez dropped him twice in the opening round but the American was unfazed and surged back to win in the second.
When Mason won the vacant WBO title with a unanimous decision over Sam Noakes he had to fight through some torrid moments against the heavy-handed British fighter.
And the fight with Noakes illustrates why the boxing public is so high on Mason. He has a fan-friendly style. He could, perhaps, have used the ring and employed a hit-and-move style against Noakes. Instead, he stayed in the pocket and went toe-to-toe.
With the Noakes fight in the balance, Mason dug deep and won the last round on two of the judges’ cards to avert a draw on the scorecards.
So you can add tenacity, cardio and mental and physical toughness to the boxes Mason ticks.
Bell, meanwhile, is a boxer we could describe as being a member of the “Who needs him?” club.
He’s a 6ft lightweight, which is almost unheard of, and he’s a slick, smart boxer, adept at making opponents miss and popping them with quick counter punches.
This fight is the big opportunity that Bell dreamed about when he turned professional 13 years ago after winning the national Golden Gloves title as an amateur.
Bell has hardly lost a round. Top Rank promoted Bell for a while but it was difficult to match him in meaningful contests. The risk-reward ratio didn’t make sense for prospective opponents who had aspirations of their own.
Put simply, Bell was seen as not just difficult to beat but, also, the sort of boxer who could make an opponent look bad.
Bell has fought only one “name” opponent in his 28-0 (9 KOs) career, and that was Andy Vences back in 2019. Vences was unbeaten in 23 bouts but Bell soundly outpointed him, winning seven of the 10 rounds on all three judges’ cards.
Since then Bell has been outclassing opponents with winning records but who weren’t on his level. Now, at 33, Bell finally gets a title fight on a major platform (DAZN worldwide, TNT network in the US).
Abdullah Mason vs Albert Bell Tale of the Tape
Abdullah Mason | Albert Bell | |
Record: | 20-0 (17 KOs) | 28-0 (9 KOs) |
Age: | 22 | 33 |
Birthplace: | Cleveland, Ohio, USA | Toledo, Ohio, USA |
Height: | 5′ 9″ / 175cm | 6' 0″ / 183cm |
Stance: | Southpaw | Orthodox |
Last Fight: | Won (UD) vs Sam Noakes (Nov 2025) | Won (UD) vs Keith Hunter (Aug 2025) |
KO%: | 85% | 32.14% |
Alias: | 'Dulah' | 'Prince' |
Abdullah Mason vs Albert Bell Top Tips
Mason has never fought a skyscraper like Bell, but, conversely, Bell has never faced anyone with Mason’s speed and dynamism.
The two have sparred together and are on friendly terms. Mason even refers to Bell as “my guy”. But Mason isn’t the type to hold back once the first bell sounds. As he says, business is business and he and Bell can be friends again when the fight is over.
Bell usually doesn't do a lot of moving around the ring. He uses the shoulder-roll style, sliding away from punches and countering. And he is good at what he does.
However, I don’t think Bell has the ammunition to keep Mason at bay for all 12 rounds.
At some point Mason figures to close the distance and start to land sharp punches.
I can see Bell having good moments but I believe Mason will simply be too irrepressible.
Mason seemed to hurt Sam Noakes with body punches at least twice in their gruelling 12-rounder and I think he can break down Bell by ripping shots to the body.
Bell might do well early but I think Mason will gradually take command with power and educated pressure.
A late-round TKO for Bell looks quite possible, so at 4/5 odds I believe 'Fight to go the Distance - No' makes sense.
And Mason at 1/4 looks a solid play: The admission price is high, but I view Mason as a special type of fighter
All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
