O'Neil Bell dies in Atlanta shooting at the age of 40
Thursday 26 November 2015 13:45, UK
Former world cruiserweight champion O'Neil Bell has died after being shot and stabbed during a robbery in Atlanta.
Bell won the IBF belt in May 2005 when he beat Dale Brown by unanimous decision in Florida and in his last fight nearly four years ago he stopped Rico Cason inside a round, moving to a record of 27-4-1-KO25 in the process.
Born in Jamaica in 1974, Bell turned professional in 1998 and ended up fighting outside the United States just twice.
He briefly held the IBF, WBC and WBA crowns when he beat Jean-Marc Mormeck via 10th-round stoppage at Madison Square Garden in 2006 - but ended up losing the rematch on points in Paris the following year.
Media reports in America suggest Bell had just disembarked from a bus when he shot by the occupants of a car. Another victim sustained a gunshot wound to the hip and is recovering in hospital.
