Round by Round: O\’Neil Bell vs. Dale Brown.

Tonight, live on ESPN 2’s Friday Night Fights series, O’Neil “Give ’em Hell” Bell faced Dale “Cowboy” Brown for the vacant IBF cruiserweight championship.

Round one: Dale “Cowboy” Brown (33-4-1 with 21 KOs) comes out in his orthodox stance, using a quick, stiff jab against the right handed O’Neil “Give ’em Hell” Bell (24-1-1 with 22 KOs). Brown is using a lot of head movement and dances around the ring sticking that jab out effectively. Bell fires two jabs followed by a couple of shots to the body. Brown comes back with a left to the body, left hook to the head, and a straight right hand that lands. Brown goes back to moving around the ring and sticking the jab. He closes the round with a solid one-two punch combination.

Score: 10-9 Brown.

Round two: Bell comes out strong and sticks a solid one-two to Brown’s head. Brown circles and tries to stick the jab. Brown fires three jabs followed by a left hook that lands flush, snapping Bell’s head. Brown, using excellent head movement, continues to use the ring and stick jabs in O’Neil’s face. Bell lands a solid right hand, but Brown takes it well and circles away. Brown continues to pop that jab and lands some solid body shots off it. Brown lands a great uppercut and moves away as the round comes to an end.

Score: 10-9 Brown.

Round three: Brown comes out in similar fashion, using solid head movement and sticking that left jab out. Brown now has a cut on his forehead which was caused by a punch. Bell continues to stalk, and is trying to land something meaningful. Brown is countering well, and hurts Bell with a straight right hand. O’Neil seems to be on very unsteady legs as Brown lands another straight right hand that stuns Bell again. Brown follows up with another right and a left hook. Bell starts to hold on as he seems to be ready to go. Brown lands another solid left hook that makes Bell’s legs do a little dance. Bell tries to mount a comeback, but still looks shaken. The round ends.

Score: 10-8 Brown.

Round four: Bell comes out shooting jabs and lands a solid right hand on Brown’s chin. He walks Brown to the ropes, and works his body over. A solid right hand lands on Brown’s left eye, which causes a cut over the eye. Brown comes back with a three-punch combination to stem the tide. Bell keeps the pressure on and lands some solid body shots. Brown tries to cover up, but gets caught with more straight rights to the face. Bell digs to the body well as Brown is all of a sudden flat-footed. Brown manages to get Bell to the ropes, and rakes him with hooks, but Bell fights out of there and lands some solid punches. The round ends.

Score: 10-9 Bell.

Round five: Brown’s upper left eye area is bleeding, but the blood is not bothering his vision. Brown comes out jabbing again, and is trying to circle his opponent. O’Neil continues to stalk Dale and sneaks in a straight right hand. He lands another right, but Brown takes it well. O’Neil continues to pour on the pressure and is starting to land the straight right hand with more frequency. Brown lands a double left hook to the body followed by a left to the head. Bell works his body and Brown tries to circle away. Brown jabs, but gets countered by a straight right as the round comes to an end.

Score: 10-9 Bell.

Round six: Brown comes out in the sixth using more head movement in an attempt to slip the incoming and continues to work the jab. He lands a one-two combination as Bell follows him around. Bell wings powerful shots that land to the body and head. Brown lands a straight right hand that stems the tide. Brown gets trapped on the ropes and Bell unleashes a four-punch combination that lands effectively, stunning Dale. Brown circles away and goes back to sticking the jab. O’Neil comes back with two jabs, followed by a right hand that lands flush as the round ends.

Score: 10-9 Bell.

Round seven: Brown comes out using the ring as Bell continues to stalk him. O’Neil looks like he is tiring and is winging one shot at a time. Brown starts to, again, have success boxing from the outside and using his jab. As Bell tries to just walk in, Brown catches him with solid one-two counters. O’Neil keeps getting caught as he is not offering much in the way of offense and is just walking in shooting one shot at a time. Brown lands two jabs, followed by a solid three-punch combination. He goes back to boxing very effectively and sticks the jab with authority as the round ends.

Score: 10-9 Brown.

Round eight: Brown is, again, using the jab and head movement effectively. Bell looks very tired and he misses with winging shots. Brown sticks three jabs and a right hand that lands to the head. Brown uses the ring and blocks Bell’s incoming offensive. Brown catches Bell with a left hook and follows it with a right hand that lands flush. He goes back to boxing beautifully against Bell who does not seem to have any answers. Brown lands a solid right hand that hurts Bell as the round comes to a close.

Score: 10-9 Brown.

Round nine: Brown continues to move and stick the jab in Bell’s face. O’Neil is just stalking and throwing one punch at a time, as Brown continues to box very well from the outside. Brown counters very well and moves away effectively. Brown gets caught with two solid body shots, as Bell swings away. Brown continues to circle his opponent and counters Bell to the body. Dale lands a one-two and a straight right hand at the bell.

Score: 10-9 Brown.

Round ten: Bell comes out continuing to stalk Brown, but is only throwing one punch at a time. O’Neil looks very tired and does not seem to have much left in the tank. Brown goes back to jabbing and countering well. He gets caught with a right hand, but comes back with his own solid left hook. Bell lands a one-two combination and follows it with an uppercut. Both fighters stand and trade and Dale lands a solid left hook to the head. Brown lands another one-two followed by a powerful right uppercut that snaps Bell’s head back. Bell comes back with two stiff right hands as the round ends.

Score: 10-10 Even.

Round eleven: O’Neil comes out putting pressure and continues to stalk, but just seems to be very tired. Brown goes back to jabbing and using the ring to stay away from Bell. Brown lands a straight right hand, but Bell comes back with some good body work. Both fighters seem tired. Brown lands a great left hook that sends Bell into the ropes, where Dale lands a two-punch combination. A one-two combination hurts O’Neil as the round closes.

Score: 10-9 Brown.

Round twelve: Bell comes out stalking and is trying to land something big. Brown continues to move around the ring and jabs to keep Bell off him. Dale lands two hooks to the body and sticks a jab to Bell’s face, as he moves away. Bell, looking very sloppy, is throwing one punch at a time. A good left hook lands for Brown as Bell goes to the ropes. Brown lands two more punches and moves away. A right hand jars O’Neil’s mouth piece out. Brown closes the round with a flurry.

Score: 10-9 Brown.

My scorecard: 117-111 for Dale “Cowboy” Brown.

The official’s scorecards read:

115-113; 116-112; and 117-111 for the winner and new IBF cruiserweight champion of the world, O’Neil “Give “em Hell” Bell.

Writer’s Note: Just for the record, the entire ESPN 2crew had the fight scored similarly to my scorecard, with Dale “Cowboy” Brown as the victor, and new champion. It is always very upsetting when things like this happen, but the official scorecards are the only ones that count so congratulations to O’Neil “Give’em Hell” Bell.

Sergio Martinez can be reached at srg_mrtnz@yahoo.com