GORDON WILLIAMS, Contributor

Ring rust has sent many boxers crashing to their doom. But Jamaican-born O'Neil "Supernova" Bell is sure a year-plus layoff will work to his advantage against Tomasz Adamek of Poland on Saturday and put him in line for another shot at the world cruiserweight title.

Bell, a former undisputed world champion, last fought on March 17, 2007 in France when he lost a controversial decision and his World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Association (WBA) belts to hometown favourite Jean Marc Mormeck. He had knocked out Mormeck in New York just over a year earlier to win those same titles and was deeply disappointed by the 12-round decision loss, claiming he was treated unfairly by boxing officials.

The United States-based Bell then ducked out of the public eye for a while. He shifted his base from Georgia to California last year, got married and fathered a son. But Bell admitted last week that while being away from the ring for so long may not have been the best move of his career, it was important to take the time off to re-charge his energies.

"(The layoff) was not wise," he said. "But I had to deal with the situation at hand. My mind wasn't right after what happened in France.

"It turned out as a positive," he added. " ... The healing process is most important. (It's) needed to regenerate your body and mind. I would say (the layoff) worked to my advantage actually."

Bell, sensing that his long absence from the ring may hurt his chances against Adamek, returned to training earlier than usual to prepare for Saturday's fight in Poland. The object, he explained, was to forcibly shake off the cobwebs of inactivity by subjecting himself to pounding found only in the ring.

"I had to beat myself back in shape," said the 33-year-old Bell, who owns a ring record of 26 wins, two losses and a draw. " ... The intention was to bust myself back into shape."

Bell, who normally starts training six to eight weeks before a fight, returned to the gym on January 3. On April 7 he completed the final eight of more than 75 rounds of sparring and is convinced that he has covered all the ground necessary to get primed for Saturday's clash.

"Nothing more I can do to get ready," Bell said days before his departure for Poland. "If I'm not in shape now I won't be for the fight."

TEST

Adamek should be a good test for Bell. The 33-year-old Polish national is a former world light heavyweight champion with a record of 33 wins and one loss. Plus, Saturday will be the Montego Bay-born boxer's second bout outside the U.S. The Mormeck fight in France left Bell with a sense of distrust and he plans on taking no chances in Poland.

"You can't leave it up to the judges," explained Bell, who has scored 24 knockouts. "(Overseas) you're fighting the fighter, the fans and the judges. I now know what I'm getting into.

"The sport is a glorious thing," Bell added. " ... It's an art, but the business end is making it look ugly sometimes ... Only thing you can hope for is fairness in the ring."

Bell also understands that at his age, chances to reclaim a world title may be dwindling. He is determined to establish his ring legacy at cruiserweight, the 200-pound division which is often starved of recognition, before possibly moving up to a more lucrative weight class.

"Down the road I see myself as a heavyweight," he said. "Why I'm stuck in the cruiserweight division is because I've not really made a definitive mark. I have not become that household name in the cruiserweight division. I want to unify the cruiserweight title before moving on."

Bell predicts Adamek will be in excellent shape and willing to attack him. He said he has not watched films of the Pole's previous fights, relying instead on his trainers - Freddy Roach and James Plenty - to do that and plan the necessary strategy. However, he does not believe Adamek will offer any major surprises in the 12-rounder.

"I have 29 fights, I've seen a variety of styles," said Bell. "I just go out and execute my style.

"I don't plan to get hit," he added, after being asked about Adamek's power which has earned him 22 knockouts.

Yet Bell declined to predict the fight's outcome.

"No, I'm not too good on predictions," he said. "I expect a good fight. I expect 'Supernova' to let his hands go, bang, bang. I may knock him out, but I'm just gonna let my hands go."

The winner of Saturday's bout should get a shot at world cruiserweight champion American Steve Cunningham, a former Bell sparring partner, who holds the International Boxing Federation belt.

Gordon Williams is a Jamaican journalist based in the United States.