Albert Bell moves to lightweight, returns on April 12

Albert Bell is no stranger to adversity. His career and life have had plenty. The former junior lightweight contender is now a lightweight, a change he is hoping will vault him to a new opportunity. 

Bell, 26-0 (9 KOs), will return on April 12 at the Huntington Center in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio. An opponent has not yet been announced.

The 32-year-old held a No. 1 position for the WBO from August 2023 until being demoted in September 2024. Bell, who is promoted by Vick Green, is looking to get to a title shot. However, he has found the road as steep as climbing Mount Everest. 

“I am not getting opportunities to fight for championships or the big names at 130,” Bell told BoxingScene. “The politics of the sport, along with me being a big risk, low reward-type fighter, makes it hard. A lot of fighters just flat-out avoid me.”

Two years ago, Bell also lost his mother, Robin Lynette Chaney-Bell, one of his biggest supporters. She passed away on January 3, 2023, while he was pursuing a title shot that still hasn’t happened. 

“I feel like I’m getting back to myself mentally,” Bell said. “It definitely fueled me and made me want to do it a little more for her. I want to bring my first world title to her grave site and place it there.”

Why are opportunities so few and far between for Bell? 

In short, he is perceived as a boring fighter. Bell fought at a distance in his marquee wins. His fight with Andy Vences was more of a technical battle. Bell had five decision wins when signed to Top Rank; he and the promoter mutually parted ways in 2022. 

Bell is a high-risk opponent with not much reward, the hardest spot to be in as a fighter. His team, however, will point to the fact that Bell is a draw in Toledo and Atlanta. 

The newest endeavor is moving up in weight to try to land a career-defining fight.

“I feel like the big names at 135lbs are hungry,” Bell said. “I feel like I will be able to get the opportunity I have been waiting for in that division.”

Green, his promoter, is quick to point out that Bell is on a three-fight knockout streak. He also points to a hand issue with Bell, who visited five doctors before finally uncovering a problem that the team believes is now fixed. 

“I know what he is capable of and I know what I have seen him do in the gym,” Green said

Bell, who is trained by his father, Andrew Bell, is looking to make the years of waiting pay off. Now the father-son duo is hoping to make 2025 their year in a new weight class. 

“We are going to new heights and challenging each other to be better,” Bell said. “I challenge him to be a better coach and he challenges me to be a better fighter. It’s a great relationship.

“I am just trusting in God and just continue to do what I love to do,” Bell said. “I love the sport. My love for the sport and how it affected my life makes this work matter. It helps me stay grounded and keeps me occupied.”

Bell’s team has issued an open challenge to any contender in the division, while pointing to names such as William Zepeda and Keyshawn Davis as fighters that they would like to test his skills against. 

“I truly believe that the big names at lightweight want to take tough fights and that someone will fight me,” Bell said. “There are real fighters at 135lbs that are not going to avoid me and want to make the best fight happen. I’m in the division now and I’m feeling the same way. Let’s make it happen.”