Fight:117836

Tommy Bell 148 lbs beat Chuck Hunter 146 lbs by UD in round 10 of 10

• Date: 1944-12-19
• Location: Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
• Referee: Jackie Davis

Tommy Bell, 148, returned to the ring after a six-month break due to managerial and health issues. He won a ten-round unanimous decision against Chuck Hunter, 146, which earned him a bout with top welterweight contender Sugar Ray Robinson on January 16, 1945. Although Hunter absorbed a terrific beating, his game aggressiveness produced one of the most exciting fights in Cleveland's boxing history. The victim of a second-round stoppage in their first meeting, Hunter scored consistently in the early rounds as Bell’s extended period of inactivity affected his timing. Bell found the range in the sixth round and had Hunter on the verge of a knockout as he connected with a flurry of lefts and rights. Bell delivered his heaviest onslaught in the ninth, slugging Hunter all over the ring until he was arm-weary. Even Bell wondered what kept Hunter on his feet, and he paused once to see if Referee Jackie Davis intended to stop the fight. Revived between rounds, Hunter came back to carry the fight to Bell at the start of the final round, but the punishment he absorbed in the previous round had taken all the power out of his blows. [The Cleveland Press]