By Tracy Morin at ringside

On Saturday night at Fitzgerald’s Casino & Hotel in Tunica, Mississippi, Southern fighters scrapped in four bouts that went the distance and ended with the crowd on its feet to cheer a local favorite.

In the main event, Memphian  (15-29-1, 8 KO) scored a six round unanimous decision over Aaron Anderson (3-47-0, 1 KO) in a clash for the Mid-South welterweight belt. Bell, coming off two wins (including a unanimous decision against Anderson last July), appeared well-prepared for the six-round rematch and emerged from his corner with sharper combinations and measured aggression behind the jab versus his shorter opponent.

Anderson was stumbled by one of those combinations and lost his mouthpiece in the third, but though Bell pressed the action, Anderson proved his typical durability by surviving, returning with flurries in spots, and even showboating with his hands behind his back. After the fourth, a back-and-forth round that brought roars from the crowd, Anderson applied more pressure, bulldozing Bell into the ropes at times, while the last round found Bell less willing to risk his clear lead. Though both fighters raised their hands at the final bell, the three judges each gave Anderson only one round, turning in scores of 59-55 across the board.

The night’s opening bout pitted light heavyweights Britton Norwood (1-0-1, 1 KO) against Blake Lacaze (2-2-1, 1 KO). The fight remained tentative throughout, with each looking to capitalize on the other’s mistakes but creating few opportunities. The rangier Lacaze circled and jabbed, while Norwood stayed low—making him a perfect target for two back-to-back uppercuts in the third—but Lacaze experienced his own setback when he vomited in the ring in the fourth and final round (he continued seemingly unfazed). After the closing bell, with neither pressing the action, the bout was declared a draw.

Junior middleweights Donald Ward (9-6-1, 4 KO) and Dawond Pickney (1-3-2) went the full six rounds in a fight that often showcased more wrestling than clean punching. Though Ward landed the crisper shots and appeared the aggressor early on, Pickney scored while he pinned his opponent to the ropes and seemed to gain confidence as the fight wore on. Ultimately, the judges ruled a draw for the evenly matched but sometimes messy fight.

Heavyweight Greg Corbin (14-0, 8 KO) put his undefeated record on the line against the experienced southpaw Grover Young (12-22-3, 8 KO) in a 10-rounder that went the distance. Young, who has fought Sergey Kovalev and Malik Scott, showed his ring savvy by avoiding Corbin’s bombs, but both fighters did their best work to the body. Young attempted, and sometimes landed, come-from-nowhere, awkward-angled overhand lefts, while Corbin was warned for low blows. Amid the measured pace, neither fighter appeared hurt at any time, but judges scored a unanimous decision for Corbin, keeping his perfect record intact.