Four years had passed since Imani Bell stepped into the squared circle. Bell is a 35-year-old fighter residing in Philadelphia who had only fought once in his professional career.
However, the former Pennsylvania State University star would overcome his hiatus to claim victory despite the layoff. Furthermore, time outside of the ring is not the only obstacle Bell had to surmount.
Bell was riddled by ailments caused by blount’s disease as a child. The disease is a growth disorder of the shinbone, but Bell did not let that stop him from pursuing his dreams or claiming his second win of his boxing career.
“Hallelujah. I wish it would have been by knockout,” said Bell. “I tried to throw more combinations, but I gave up my opportunity to keep him outside.”
Bell had taken time away from the ring to focus on his family.
“I had to raise my children first before I started pursuing my dreams,” said Bell. “I can’t make the kids fight with me, or bring them to the gym. It’s always family first.”
The event opened with Bell’s defeat of debuting fighter Ashwin Trails. Bell would take the fight by unanimous decision and improve to 2-0 with one knockout.
“This fight will determine if Ashwin can get a professional contract,” said Trails’ trainer Kevin Carmody. “If he can put on a good performance anything can happen.”
This is the third event put on by Cool Boxing Promotions as they aim to showcase some of Philadelphia’s brightest upcoming stars. Super featherweight Ramir Hilliard, fighting out of Philadelphia, made his much anticipated debut against Pedro Andes. However, Andes would gain his first career win, and spoil Hilliard’s debut by way of technical knockout.
Glibert Sanchez, Nelson Acevedo, and Derrick Webster were all able to claim victories as well. The Webster-Gbenga bout became the main event of the evening after the original headline fight was postponed. The contest was set to feature former USBA junior middleweight champion Derek “Pooh” Ennis and southpaw Lester “El Cubanito” Gonzalez. The postponement was a result of issues with Ennis’ purse.
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– Text, images and video by Jake Cleary.
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