Mason gave away the first half of the fight to Bell, who fought somewhat cautiously but effectively in picking Mason apart from the outside, but Mason began to work the body of Bell, and it was Mason dominating the second half of the fight.
Mason led on the three official scorecards entering the final round, but I had the fading Bell ahead by one point, with his early lead being whittled to a point.
Mason would drop Bell twice in the first forty seconds, with the referee ending the fight without a count after knockdown number two.
The stoppage was thought to some to have been a little early, but I don't think Bell had the legs to survive for another two and a half minutes anyway.
Mason has become a can't-miss champion with his explosive punching power, somewhat questionable chin, and ability to rally from behind.
Top Rank still shouldn't be in a hurry to match him against the elite in the division, but I think they have a coming star in Abdullah Mason.
In the co-feature, touted Bruce "Shu Shu" Carrington made his first defense of the WBC featherweight title a successful one with a unanimous decision over Rene Palacios, but didn't dazzle in the victory.
In fact, the most exciting part of a dull twelve rounds was when Palacios buzzed Carrington in the eighth round, with Carrington hitting the floor after what was ruled a punch to the back of the head.
Carrington was the easy victor 118-110, 117-111 (my score), and 116-112, but he may have caused more questions than answers.
Boxing Challenge:
Vince Samano: 44 Pts (0)
No comments:
Post a Comment