O'Neil Bell
O'Neil Bell | |
---|---|
Born | Jamaica | 29 December 1974
Died | 25 November 2015 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | (aged 40)
Nationality | Jamaican |
Other names |
|
Statistics | |
Weight(s) | Cruiserweight |
Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
Reach | 75 in (191 cm) |
Stance | Orthodox |
Boxing record | |
Total fights | 32 |
Wins | 27 |
Wins by KO | 25 |
Losses | 4 |
Draws | 1 |
O'Neil Bell (29 December 1974 – 25 November 2015) was a Jamaican professional boxer who competed from 1998 to 2011.[1] He held the unified WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, The Ring magazine, and lineal cruiserweight titles in 2006.
Professional career
Bell lost his second fight against an 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 belts 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.
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 and WBC belts 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, citing that he was 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.
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 on the count of assault with a deadly weapon, but was released. [1].
Disappearance
According to ESPN's Wednesday Night Fights on August 8, 2007, Bell, who was originally scheduled to appear, was not available to fight or be contacted in any form. He was scheduled to against Louis Azille on the fight card, but his promoter pulled him from the fight three weeks prior because he could not be located.[why?]
Death
Bell was shot and killed while being robbed in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 25, 2015.[4]
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 | Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, 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 (Super), WBC, The Ring, and lineal 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 (Super), WBC, The Ring, and vacant lineal cruiserweight titles |
27 | Win | 25–1–1 | Sebastiaan Rothmann | KO | 11 (12), 2:09 | 26 Aug 2005 | Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida, US | Retained IBF cruiserweight title |
26 | Win | 24–1–1 | Dale Brown | UD | 12 | 20 May 2005 | Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, 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 sustained a 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 | Professional debut |
See also
- List of cruiserweight boxing champions
- List of WBA world champions
- List of WBC world champions
- List of IBF world champions
- List of The Ring world champions
- List of lineal boxing world champions
References
- ^ Boxing record for O'Neil Bell from BoxRec (registration required). Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ "O'Neil Bell Looks To Become The Heavyweight Savior".
- ^ "O'Neil "Super Nova" Bell Stepping In The Ring at Heavyweight"".
- ^ Chaykovsky, Edward (November 25, 2015). "O'Neil Bell Shot and Killed By Robbers in Atlanta". BoxingScene. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
External links
- "Bell wins the IBF cruiserweight title" at ESPN
- Boxing record for O'Neil Bell from BoxRec (registration required)
- 1974 births
- 2015 deaths
- Cruiserweight boxers
- World cruiserweight boxing champions
- International Boxing Federation champions
- World Boxing Association champions
- World Boxing Council champions
- Jamaican male boxers
- Jamaican murder victims
- People murdered in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Murdered boxers
- Deaths by firearm in Georgia (U.S. state)
- The Ring magazine champions