Undefeated WBA featherweight champion Nick Ball (21-0-1, 12 KOs) had a tougher time than expected, scoring a tenth-round knockout in a voluntary defense against veteran Ronny Rios (34-5, 17 KOs) in the headliner on Saturday night in front of a Ball’s fans at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England.
The 5’2″ Ball was all over Rios from the first round, battering him with seemingly nonstop punches to the head and roughing him up. In the third, Ball knocked Rios, 34, down with a left to the head after trapping him against the ropes. Ball’s nose was bloodied in the round and bled for the remainder of the fight.
Ball showed that he can take a good shot tonight, as he got hit hard by Rios, whose power was greater than his own. The body shots and the punches to the head that Rios landed on Ball tonight were like that of a middleweight. Ball took them, but his nose looked completely gone.
Rios came back and fought well in rounds four through six, hitting Ball hard with jabs to the nose and bodyshots. The punches to the body were very hard and clearly bothered Ball, who winced at times and bent forward in reaction to the pain.
In the sixth, Ball came flying out of his corner, hitting Rios with everything but the kitchen sink, trying to score a knockout. However, he failed to do so, and Rios came back strong in the close seconds to nail Ball with shots to the nose, sending blood everywhere. Ball looked like a bloody mess as he walked back to his corner. Even the referee’s shirt was stained with blood after the round.
In the tenth, Ball hit Rios with a punch behind the head, then shoved him to the ropes and unloaded with a storm of punches that sent him out of the ring. Rios was then helped through the ropes back into the ring by the referee. However, Rios’ corner opted not to have the contest halted at that point. The time of the stoppage was at 2:06 of the tenth.
It was a good victory for Ball, but definitely not an easy one for him because he took some big shots by Rios that would have knocked out a lot of fighters.
“It was a special feeling. I want to thank everyone of them that came out to support me and bought tickets. I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing without them,” said Nick Ball to TNT Sports after the fight, talking about the crowd who had come to see him live to defend against Rios tonight.
“Just the ones with the other belts. I’ve got one of the four. There are the other three out there,” said Ball when asked if he wants to face WBC featherweight champion Rey Vargas in a rematch next. “I’m coming for the belts. it would be nice to get them
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