By Mark Vester
According to a very detailed report in the Jamaica Gleamor , former undisputed cruiserweight champion O'Neil "Supernova" Bell (26-2, 24KOs) is still missing in action and has not been in contact with his promoters, Warriors Boxing, since August 8.
Bell went missing for three weeks prior to an Aug. 8 bout against Louis Azille in a scheduled main event on ESPN. Leon Margules, head of Warriors Boxing, told the paper that he was forced to pull Bell from the fight after he was unable to reach bell for three weeks prior to the event, and his promotional company had to scamble at the last minute to rearrange the card.
"He disappeared," Margules said. "He did not return my calls for three weeks before the fight, at which point I pulled him off the card. I had to."
Margules admits that was not happy with paying Bell $35,000 for a keep busy fight, but the two were able to come to a verbal agreement. Bell never actually signed a contract for the fight.
After weeks of calls, messages and emails, Bell left a message with his promoter on the day of the fight, Aug 8., saying 'we need to talk.'" Margules said that repeated attempts to reach him were unsuccessful.
While Margules said there "is no fallout between Warriors and Bell," he did admit that landing him future dates on networks like ESPN, HBO and Showtime will be very hard because Bell's recent actions.
Margules told the paper that he speculates Bell is unhappy with the amount of money he gets paid to fight, but also says that Bell fails to realize the cruiserweight division is not very popular with the public.
"I think O'Neil doesn't really understand the business," Margules said. "He believes because he is the best fighter he should demand the biggest money. But the market determines the purse."
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