Tonight on the massive ‘5 Vs. 5’ card, Nick Ball won the WBA featherweight title via close and thrilling – not to mention bloody – 12-round decision victory over defending champ Ray Ford. It was a great fight all the way, the closing rounds especially exciting.
After 36 minutes of warfare, Ball, his nose oozing blood, got the deserved win via split decision – the scores being 115-113 twice for Ball, and the same score on the third card for Ford.
Ball is now 20-0-1(11), while Ford is now 15-1-1(8).
It was, as is always the case in a Ball fight, sheer pressure on his part from the opening bell. Ford used his right jab to effect at times, but perhaps not enough. Ball was sheer aggression, and for a while in the fight, it looked like Ball might dominate. Ford, who was so confident ahead of the fight, looked far more thoughtful after four rounds, his corner urging him to change the pattern of the fight that had seen Ball outwork the champion.
Ford was cut in both eyes by round five, and he was looking tired in the corner. But Ford came out strong in the middle rounds and right up to the end. Round seven saw Ford land two big left hands to the head, the second shot landing right on the tip of Ball’s nose. The blood was now pouring, Ball was in trouble, and the momentum of the fight had changed just like that (and just like in the 8th round of the Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury fight of last month, when Usyk busted Fury’s beak and drew blood).
Ford looked class at times tonight, while he was also outworked by Ball, a fighter who, quite incredibly, never seems to be tired or hurt! Ball really did put his punches together well tonight, his uppercuts serving him well. It was a war in the later rounds and both men were playing their part in a genuine FOTY contender. Ball, splattered with blood and no doubt having some trouble breathing, just kept on coming, and this forced Ford to let his own hands go in style. This fight proved to be a classic boxer Vs. aggressive puncher battle.
The two men went punch-for-punch in the championship rounds and the fight was in the balance. Some rounds were very tough to score, with it coming down to a case of what you liked: the sheer, naked aggression of Ball, or the perhaps classier work of Ford.
The final round was special, with the two warriors trading some serious leather. If ever a fight could have been a draw, it was this one. But draw is an ugly word to Ball, this due to what happened in his last fight, and today justice was done, with the right man winning. Ford had no real complaints about today’s decision. Both men would like to run this one back.
It was a great fight, and for those who are keeping score, Queensbury now hold the lead in the ‘5 Vs. 5’ by a margin of two wins to zero.
Nick Ball could be the next British superstar. Who doesn’t love watching this guy go to war!
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