Boxing Preview: Abdullah Mason vs Albert Bell

Abdullah Mason defends his WBO lightweight world title against Albert Bell at the Wolstein Centre, Cleveland, on Saturday evening. Mason vs Bell tops a Top Rank-promoted show that’s available to follow live on DAZN.

Keep reading as former professional boxer turned sports betting analyst Frankie Monkhouse previews Mason vs Bell. Get the latest form, the stats and trends, betting odds, markets, and our professional boxing betting predictions.

Perhaps the most interesting point about Saturday’s showdown in Cleveland is that Mason vs Bell isn’t Mason vs Cordina. The American champion was initially scheduled to face talented Welshman Joe Cordina in a mouth-watering match. Unfortunately, Cordina’s application to visit the United States was denied by officials due to a live police investigation.

With Cordina blocked from working in the US until an assault case is settled, Bell answered the call, filled the gap, and saved the show. Could the late replacement spring a surprise and become champion of the world after more than a year on the sidelines? Anything is possible in a boxing sport known as the noble art.

Abdullah Mason is the 22-year-old world boxing champion from Ohio. The southpaw boxer will duck between the ropes as the current keeper of the WBO strap, meaning he has the most to lose on fight night.

His record stands at 20 wins, with 17 victories coming inside the distance. An 85% KO average shows why Abdullah is one of the division’s more feared men.

Mason is the ultimate professional, as his CV shows, but he must prove it again when dealing with a late change of opponent.

Following weeks of focusing on Joe Cordina and setting out a plan to combat the Welshman’s skills, Team Mason was forced back to the drawing board. They must now create a game plan to beat another unbeaten American in Bell.

Abdullah won the WBO title with a surprise points victory over Britain’s Sam Noakes in Saudi Arabia late last year.

Mason beat Noakes on points following a gripping 12-round contest, with the official scorecards reading 115-113, 115-113, 117-111. That win over Sam at the ANB Arena in Riyadh ended a run of nine stoppage wins dating back to November 2023.

Albert Bell may be a late stand-in, but he’s desperate to grab this incredible opportunity with both hands. Boxing fans and historians know results are littered with famous upsets.

Some of the most famous world champions started as challengers following an opponent swap, using their skills to upset the odds on the big stage before a global audience.

Bell is a 33-year-old boxer from Toledo, Ohio. He’ll duck between the ropes on fight night as the underdog, given he’s a late substitute for Cordina, but he has good reason to be confident.

The 6’ orthodox boxer has won each of his previous 28 bouts, winning nine by KO/TKO. A lowly 32% knockout average shows Prince likes to let his skills do the talking.

Despite a proud unbeaten record, Albert’s last appearance was a 10-round points win over Keith Hunter in Toledo last summer. Fast-approaching 12 months out of action isn’t ideal ahead of such an important bout.

The odds are stacked against him, but Bell and his loyal fans know he’s no stranger to turning the tables and silencing his critics.

Now that I’ve set the scene for Mason vs Bell and brought readers up to speed on the recent form of both gladiators, I’ll now focus on the latest betting odds.

Major online sportsbooks offer pre-fight and live betting on all of this week’s standout boxing action, including Mason vs Bell.

You can target a profit by predicting the winning fighter, calling the winning round, or playing the method-of-victory market. There’s something for everyone, including a bet that gives you something solid to follow on Saturday.

The fight-winner betting market is the most popular way to gamble on combat sports.

That’s sure to attract attention, especially from the value hunters out there.

It’s now time to reveal my Mason vs Bell box betting tips.

Mason is the favourite, the defending champion, and an unbeaten fighter. Bell is the underdog, a late replacement, and the more experienced boxer.

The late change will impact Bell more than Mason. The challenger, coming off a near 12-month absence, doesn’t help his cause much either. With that in mind, I’m picking Mason to win the bout.

You can back Mason to win as a single or add him to your weekend boxing parlays, multiples, and Bet Builders.

Those seeking a higher price with more attractive odds can back the champion to defend his title on points. To win this one, you need Mason to be victorious, and for him to beat Bell on points over 12 rounds.

Other boxing betting markets that may appeal to you this weekend are the fight to last the distance and the total rounds.

When backing the fight to go to points, you need to see all 12 rounds completed. The traders also set the total rounds bar at 7.5 rounds, and you must predict if the contest will last longer (over) or less than (under) that point.