O'Neil Bell
O'Neil Bell (29 December 1974 – 25 November 2015) was a Jamaican professional boxer who competed from 1998 to 2011. He held the undisputed cruiserweight title in 2006 and the lineal cruiserweight title from 2006 to 2007.
| O'Neil Bell | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Nickname(s) |
|
| Weight(s) | Cruiserweight |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Reach | 75 in (191 cm) |
| Nationality | Jamaican |
| Born | 29 December 1974 Jamaica |
| Died | 25 November 2015 (aged 40) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 32 |
| Wins | 27 |
| Wins by KO | 25 |
| Losses | 4 |
| Draws | 1 |
Professional career
Bell lost his second fight against Algerian amateur star (M. Benguesima) but kept winning for years after that. He defeated former IBF champion Arthur Williams twice by KO and climbed the rankings.
He defeated Canadian Dale Brown in a controversial but unanimous decision on May 20, 2005, on Friday Night Fights to capture the vacant IBF title.
He unified the title by beating Frenchman Jean-Marc Mormeck on January 7, 2006, for his WBA and WBC belts, making Bell the second undisputed champion of the division, with Evander Holyfield being the first.[1]
The IBF later stripped Bell in April 2006 for pulling out of a mandatory bout against Steve Cunningham because of a tooth problem. After nearly 11 months of inactivity, Bell was due to take part in the postponed Superfighter Tournament at heavyweight on December 1 of that year.
Bell lost the WBA, WBC and lineal cruiserweight titles to Jean-Marc Mormeck on March 17, 2007 in the Frenchman's backyard in Levallois, France via a close but unanimous decision.
On April 19, 2008, in Poland, Bell fought former WBC light heavyweight champion Tomasz Adamek. Bell was dropped in the first round and quit after the end of round seven, complaining of feeling dizzy and sick.
After the Adamek fight, Bell announced his move to the heavyweight division, saying that making the cruiserweight limit sapped his strength for his last two fights.[2] Bell's first heavyweight bout was scheduled to be against Willie Palms on January 14, 2009,[3] but that fight never occurred.
Professional boxing record
| 32 fights | 27 wins | 4 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 25 | 3 |
| By decision | 2 | 1 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | Win | 27–4–1 | Rico Cason | TKO | 1, 0:58 | 17 Dec 2011 | Smith Gymnasium at Henderson Hall, Arlington, Virginia, US | |
| 31 | Loss | 26–4–1 | Richard Hall | TKO | 2 (10), 1:58 | 4 Jun 2011 | Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, US | |
| 30 | Loss | 26–3–1 | Tomasz Adamek | TKO | 8 (12) | 19 Apr 2008 | Spodek, Katowice, Poland | |
| 29 | Loss | 26–2–1 | Jean-Marc Mormeck | UD | 12 | 17 Mar 2007 | Palais des sports Marcel-Cerdan, Levallois-Perret, France | Lost WBA (Unified), WBC, and The Ring cruiserweight titles |
| 28 | Win | 26–1–1 | Jean-Marc Mormeck | KO | 10 (12), 2:50 | 7 Jan 2006 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | Retained IBF cruiserweight title; Won WBA (Unified), WBC, and The Ring cruiserweight titles |
| 27 | Win | 25–1–1 | Sebastiaan Rothmann | KO | 11 (12), 2:09 | 26 Aug 2005 | Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, US | Retained IBF cruiserweight title |
| 26 | Win | 24–1–1 | Dale Brown | UD | 12 | 20 May 2005 | Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, US | Won vacant IBF cruiserweight title |
| 25 | Win | 23–1–1 | Ezra Sellers | KO | 2 (12), 2:04 | 4 Sep 2004 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, US | |
| 24 | Win | 22–1–1 | Derrick Harmon | TKO | 8 (12), 1:41 | 19 Dec 2003 | Ramada Inn, Rosemont, Illinois, US | Retained NABF cruiserweight title |
| 23 | Win | 21–1–1 | Kelvin Davis | TKO | 11 (12), 1:03 | 23 May 2003 | Lucky Star Casino, Concho, Oklahoma, US | Retained NABF and USBA cruiserweight titles |
| 22 | Win | 20–1–1 | Arthur Williams | TKO | 9 (12), 2:06 | 8 Nov 2002 | Stratosphere, Las Vegas, Nevada, US | Retained NABF cruiserweight title; Won vacant USBA cruiserweight title |
| 21 | Win | 19–1–1 | Eric Davis | TKO | 3 (6) | 28 Jun 2002 | Roxy Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia, US | |
| 20 | Draw | 18–1–1 | Ernest Mateen | TD | 3 (10) | 26 Apr 2002 | Ramada O'Hare, Rosemont, Illinois, US | TD after Mateen was cut from an accidental head clash |
| 19 | Win | 18–1 | Ka-Dy King | TKO | 3 (10) | 9 Apr 2002 | Ramada Inn, Rosemont, Illinois, US | |
| 18 | Win | 17–1 | Arthur Williams | TKO | 11 (12), 2:30 | 7 Sep 2001 | Dakota Magic Casino, Hankinson, North Dakota, US | Retained NABF cruiserweight title |
| 17 | Win | 16–1 | Jason Robinson | UD | 10 | 3 Jul 2001 | Six Flags Over Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia, US | |
| 16 | Win | 15–1 | Jose Luis Rivera | TKO | 11 (12) | 10 May 2001 | Casino Queen, East St. Louis, Illinois, US | Retained NABF cruiserweight title |
| 15 | Win | 14–1 | James Walton | TKO | 10 (12), 1:38 | 18 Jan 2001 | Grand Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi, US | Won vacant NABF cruiserweight title |
| 14 | Win | 13–1 | Michael Rush | KO | 5 (12) | 19 Oct 2000 | Columbus, Georgia, US | Won NBA cruiserweight title |
| 13 | Win | 12–1 | Eric Davis | TKO | 2 (10) | 13 Oct 2000 | Stone Mountain, Georgia, US | |
| 12 | Win | 11–1 | Jose Hiram Torres | TKO | 3 | 2 Jun 2000 | Roxy Nightclub, Boston, Massachusetts, US | |
| 11 | Win | 10–1 | John Moore | TKO | 3 | 22 Apr 2000 | Atlanta, Georgia, US | |
| 10 | Win | 9–1 | Wes Taylor | TKO | 3 | 27 Jan 2000 | Atlanta, Georgia, US | |
| 9 | Win | 8–1 | George Holder | TKO | 2 (6), 2:47 | 3 Sep 1999 | Harrah's, Cherokee, North Carolina, US | |
| 8 | Win | 7–1 | Carl Handy | TKO | 4 | 11 Aug 1999 | New Orleans, Louisiana, US | |
| 7 | Win | 6–1 | John Battle | KO | 2 | 3 Mar 1999 | Atlanta, Georgia, US | |
| 6 | Win | 5–1 | Cliff Nellon | TKO | 4 (6), 1:57 | 22 Jan 1999 | Horseshoe Casino, Tunica, Mississippi, US | |
| 5 | Win | 4–1 | John Carter | TKO | 1 (4), 2:10 | 13 Nov 1998 | Harrah's, Cherokee, North Carolina, US | |
| 4 | Win | 3–1 | Larry Donnell | TKO | 2 | 30 Jul 1998 | Roxy Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia, US | |
| 3 | Win | 2–1 | James Sealey | KO | 1 | 26 Jun 1998 | Doraville, Georgia, US | |
| 2 | Loss | 1–1 | Mahamed Benguesmia | KO | 4 (6) | 11 Apr 1998 | Township Auditorium, Columbia, South Carolina, US | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | William Holyfield | TKO | 1 (4) | 19 Feb 1998 | World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia, US |
Outside the ring
On February 5, 2007, Bell allegedly threw an axe at his sparring partner, Larry Slayton, while training in the woods of Big Bear, California. He was subsequently arrested for assault with a deadly weapon but was released.[4]
2007 disappearance
According to ESPN's Wednesday Night Fights on August 8, 2007, Bell, who was originally scheduled to appear, was unavailable to fight and could not be contacted in any way. He was scheduled to appear against Louis Azille on the fight card, but his promoter pulled him from the fight three weeks prior because he could not be located.
Death
Bell was shot and killed while being robbed in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 25, 2015.[5]
See also
References
- "O'Neil Bell - Lineal Cruiserweight Champion". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia.
- "O'Neil Bell Looks To Become The Heavyweight Savior". 28 July 2008.
- "O'Neil "Super Nova" Bell Stepping In The Ring at Heavyweight"". Bleacher Report.
- "Cruiserweight champ Bell arrested on assault charge". ESPN.com. 6 February 2007.
- Chaykovsky, Edward (November 25, 2015). "O'Neil Bell Shot and Killed By Robbers in Atlanta". BoxingScene. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
External links
- Boxing record for O'Neil Bell from BoxRec (registration required)
- Bell wins the IBF cruiserweight title at ESPN
- O'Neil Bell profile at Cyber Boxing Zone