Former Boxing World Champion O’Neil Bell Shot to Death

Former world cruiserweight champion and knockout artist O’Neil Bell was killed early Wednesday morning, an apparent victim of a robbery.

According to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Bell was attacked by four men, who gunned him down after exiting a MARTA bus on Harbins Road in southwest Atlanta.

Police believe the men involved in the killing were driving a Chrystler PT Cruiser that was suspected to have been stolen. When Bell and another unidentified man left the bus, the car drove up and opened fire shortly after midnight.

The responding officers found Bell dead in the street with a gunshot wound to his upper torso. The other victim, who reportedly was not with Bell, was taken to a nearby Grady Memorial Hospital in critical condition.

Bell had a solid boxing career, one that saw him capture the vacant IBF cruiserweight title by edging Dale Brown via unanimous decision in 2005. He added the WBC and WBA titles by knocking out Jean Marc Mormeck in the 10th round of a thrilling battle several months later. Bell lost his titles to Mormeck in a rematch a year later and then was beaten by Tomasz Adamek and Richard Hall in back-to-back bouts. He ended his career with a first-round drubbing of Rico Carson in December of 2011.

Bell, who changed his nickname from “Give ‘em Hell” to “Supernova,” finished his career with a mark of 27-4-1 with 25 KOs.