Albert Bell has had his peaks and valleys in 2021. 

Notching a victory earlier this year and being used as a sparring partner for former world titleholder Vasiliy Lomachenko have been the high points thus far. That high Bell was on came crashing down weeks ago as he was involved in a car accident. 

Now that he has recovered and moved on from the accident, which took place in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio, Bell is continuing down a path of making a name for himself at 130 pounds.

Bell will square off against Julio Cortez tonight at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The eight-round bout will be part of the Top Rank undercard that will stream live on ESPN+ (6 p.m. ET/ 3 p.m. PT). 

In the main event, which will air live on ESPN (10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT), Joshua Franco will defend his WBA ‘Regular’ junior bantamweight title against Andrew Moloney. 

Bell (18-0, 5 knockouts) last fought on April 10, across town at the Osage Casino, defeating Manuel Rey Rojas by unanimous decision. The win over Rojas took place over nine months after defeating Mark Bernaldez by unanimous decision. 

Over a month after the Rojas fight, 28-year-old received a call to spar Lomachenko, who was in preparation for his June 26 bout against Masayoshi Nakatani. Bell traveled to Camarillo, California, where Lomachenko lives and trains, where he spent about five weeks training alongside Lomachenko. Bell believes the time spent with Lomachenko was valuable, in and out of the ring. 

“Sparring with Lomachenko was great work,” Bell told BoxingScene Thursday afternoon. “I learned a lot. It was definitely a test of mental capacity because he puts a lot of mental pressure on you. It’s in you to show how strong your mentality is in its own right to keep up with the hands, feet, angles, and feints. More than anything, it was iron sharpening iron every session, ultimately making us both better fighters all around.

“I always knew I would (eventually) get some type of top work with a great world champion because the boxing world is very small, but did I think it would be with ‘Loma?’ No, I didn’t.”

Bell notched his most important victory in June 2019, defeating Andy Vences by unanimous decision in a clash of unbeaten junior lightweights. Over four months later, Bell defeated Frank De Alba by unanimous decision. 

Since signing with Top Rank in 2018, Bell is yearning for a significant fight on a big platform. Manager Vick Green did admit something could be in the works should Bell put on an impressive performance over the Ecuador-born Cortez. 

Bell is confident that can happen.

“I stay motivated by looking forward to what is come now and I’m inching closer and closer to my ultimate goal of becoming a world champion so that alone is enough motivation for me to do the things I need to do in my career to achieve that in my next fight (tonight),” said Bell.

Bell stands 6’0”, towering over most of his opponents. Green admits frustration in fights getting turned down or certain fighters refusing to face him, but it comes with the territory. 

“Yeah, it’s a gift and a curse, but I just try to stay positive knowing that eventually I’ll get my chance. I just have to take full advantage of my opportunity once it’s been presented, like I (have) been doing thus far.

“At times, it can be discouraging knowing that certain fighters stay away from me or try to go around me because I want to fight and prove myself against the best out there. With that going on, it’s unfortunate that the fights are not getting made that should or could be getting made in the division or seeing people get the opportunities that I feel like I should be getting instead. It’s political but it is what it is. I try to be better about it and just stay focused on my path. Everything happens for a reason and everything has a timing, but when it’s my time, its my time.”

Francisco A. Salazar has written for BoxingScene since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing.