Toledo's Albert Bell slated for Aug. 14 fight

Aug. 5—Albert Bell has his next challenger in place.

The Toledo native and unbeaten junior lightweight boxing contender will step back into the ring on Aug. 14 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Okla., for the Top Rank Boxing promotion. He will oppose veteran Julio Cortez of Ecuador in an eight-round bout.

The fight will be on the undercard of the featured bout between WBA super flyweight world champion Joshua Franco and former world champion Andrew Moloney. The undercard action begins at 6 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.

Bell checks into his fight with Cortez at 18-0 with five victories via knockout, and he is the World Boxing Organization's No. 8 junior lightweight contender. He is 6-0 since signing with the Top Rank promotion in 2018.

Bell won his previous fight in April, also in Tulsa. He was taken to the wire by Manuel Rey Rojas before ultimately prevailing with a unanimous decision victory.

Cortez (15-2, 11 KOs) is undefeated in the junior lightweight division, and has won his previous two fights.