If you blinked during the first six rounds of Abdullah Mason vs. Albert Bell, you might have wondered if the hometown kid was about to lose his belt in his own backyard. Down on one card, even on the other two, Mason looked nothing like the destructive force who’d blown through the lightweight division on his way to the WBO title.
Then Round 7 happened, and Mason remembered who he was.
The July 4 weekend card at Cleveland’s Wolstein Center — dubbed “The Fight” and broadcast on both TNT and DAZN — delivered exactly what live boxing does best: unpredictability, drama, and a reminder that championship metal isn’t forged in easy fights. As I previewed on Friday, the Mason-Bell matchup carried serious questions about Mason’s readiness for a late-replacement opponent who could box. The answers came in the 12th round.
The Stakes
Mason (21-0, 18 KOs) was making the first defense of the WBO lightweight title he won earlier this year. Bell (28-1, 9 KOs) stepped in on two weeks’ notice after Joe Cordina pulled out — a classic “trap fight” scenario where the champion trains for a slick boxer and gets a different kind of tricky operator instead. Bell had never been stopped. Mason had never been past 10 rounds. Something had to give.
Meanwhile, in the co-main event, Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (18-0, 10 KOs) put his WBC featherweight title on the line against Rene Palacios (19-1-1, 10 KOs) in a fight that was supposed to answer whether Carrington is ready for the division’s elite. It answered, but not in the way Carrington’s team was hoping.
Mason vs Bell: The Comeback That Defined a Champion
Through the first six rounds, Albert Bell was the better boxer. He was fighting the perfect road game: stick the jab, pivot off the center line, make Mason reach and miss. Bell’s output wasn’t explosive, but it was consistent. The in-round live betting on DraftKings flipped in Bell’s favor after four rounds. The commentary team was already framing the “upset alert” narrative.
Then Mason’s corner got through to him.
“The body,” Mason said post-fight. “My corner just kept telling me: go to the body.”
And he did. Mason planted his feet, abandoned the jab-and-move approach that wasn’t working, and started walking through Bell’s punches to land to the ribs and solar plexus. It’s a move I’ve seen a hundred times from Filipino fighters — Pacquiao did it to Hatton, Donaire did it to Narvaez — and it never gets old. Body punching breaks the will before it breaks the body.
By Round 10, Bell was retreating. By Round 11, he was bleeding. In the 12th, Mason dropped him twice before the referee waved it off at 1:47 of the final round. The stoppage was slightly early — Bell was still on his feet after the second knockdown — but he was out on his feet, taking clean shots without firing back. The referee did his job.
The comeback win told me more about Mason than a first-round blowout ever could. He can adjust mid-fight. He can take a punch. And when the championship rounds arrive, he has the gas tank and the killer instinct to close. That’s a dangerous combination for the rest of the lightweight division.
Carrington vs Palacios: Winning Isn’t the Same as Convincing
Bruce Carrington won a unanimous decision — 118-110, 117-111, 116-112 — and retained his WBC featherweight title. But the Cleveland crowd booed him. That’s not a good sign.
Carrington controlled the fight with his jab, movement, and combination punching. He was never in real danger of losing. But “not losing” is a low bar for a champion who calls himself “Shu Shu” and has been talked about as a potential opponent for Naoya Inoue, one of the greatest fighters alive.
The flashpoint came in Round 8, when Palacios dropped Carrington with a left hand behind the ear. Referee Harvey Dock ruled it a slip. Replay angles suggested otherwise. If that’s a knockdown, the 118-110 card — which looked wide — becomes defensible, but the narrative still stings.
Bad Left Hook’s Scott Christ summed it up best: Carrington is “a good fighter, not a great one.” At 29 years old with 18 wins and zero defining opponents, the clock is ticking. Palacios pushed him. A real top-tier talent might push him past the limit.
Undercard: The Mason Brothers and Tiger Johnson Deliver
Welterweight Delante “Tiger” Johnson (18-0, 8 KOs) turned in the most polished performance of the night, sweeping Christopher Guerrero (16-1) by scores of 100-92, 99-91, and 99-91. The former U.S. Olympian is building a reputation as a technician — not an exciting one, but a winning one. He called out Devin Haney post-fight, which is ambitious. Haney fights at a different weight class and stratosphere, but you have to admire the confidence.
Then there were the Mason brothers. Ibrahim Mason (3-0, 3 KOs) stopped Erik Hanley in two rounds, dropping him four times. Abdurrahman Mason (3-0, 2 KOs) outboxed Alvaro Huizar Cabral over four, scoring a knockdown. Three brothers, three wins, same card, same city. If that’s not a boxing family story waiting to be told, I don’t know what is. It reminded me of the Pacquiao family’s boxing lineage, but with three active brothers at the same time — I can’t think of another active trio in the sport right now.
Deric “Scooter” Davis (12-0, 10 KOs) got a tricky test against Carlos Ramos, eking out a competitive unanimous decision. He looked raw at times, but got the rounds. That’s the value of prospect development: learn on the job, win while you’re learning.
P4P and the Bigger Picture
The weekend’s results land in a broader context. Jaron “Boots” Ennis, fresh off his seventh-round destruction of Xander Zayas, climbed in the ESPN pound-for-pound rankings this week — as covered here after that fight. A two-division champion with power, speed, and ring IQ, Ennis is making a compelling case for P4P top-five status. The middleweight scene keeps producing.
The heavyweight division continues churning, too. Oleksandr Usyk’s recent decision to vacate all his belts reshuffled the landscape — I broke down what that means here. Meanwhile, Tony Yoka’s back injury has scrapped his WBA title clash with Murat Gassiev, and Tyson Fury is reportedly heading to Thailand to face Mariusz Wach before any Joshua fight materializes. The heavyweight merry-go-round never stops turning.
Filipino Corner: What’s Coming
There were no Pinoy fighters on the July 4 card, which was disappointing but not surprising — Top Rank’s Cleveland showcase was built around local talent, not international depth. But the Filipino boxing calendar for late July is taking shape.
At least one Filipino fighter is expected on the Zuffa Boxing 09 card on July 26 at Madison Square Garden’s Infosys Theater. I’ll have names and dates confirmed in the Wednesday rankings piece. The Philippine domestic scene under the PBF (Philippine Boxing Federation) also has regional title fights brewing for late July and early August.
Back home, the tradition continues. Filipino fighters remain among the most exciting and dedicated in the sport — it’s in our blood, from Pacquiao and Donaire to Ancajas, Casimero, and the next generation finding their paths. If there’s a Pinoy on a card, I’ll flag it. And if there isn’t, I’ll tell you where to look next.
Closing Bell
Abdullah Mason proved he can win ugly, adjust mid-fight, and close with authority. That’s more valuable than any highlight-reel knockout. Bruce Carrington proved he can win comfortably but not impressively, which leaves him in boxing’s most frustrating place: good enough to keep his belt, not good enough to chase greatness.
The lightweight division just got a legitimate star who can fight through adversity. The featherweight division got a champion who needs a real test. And the Mason family gave Cleveland a story they’ll talk about for years.
Boxing’s July 4 weekend didn’t produce a Fight of the Year candidate, but it produced the kind of narratives that make the sport addictive: comebacks, controversy, prospects emerging, and champions showing their limits. I’ll have the rankings update and Filipino calendar on Wednesday.