Nick Ball set for championship homecoming against Ronny Rios

WBA featherweight champion Nick Ball will make a first defense of his title in a Liverpool homecoming on Saturday October 5 at the M&S Bank Arena.

Ball has been matched with experienced American, Ronny Rios (34-4, 17 KOs), who is coming off of a fifth-round KO victory over Nicolas Polanco on ProBox TV.

Ball is 20-0-1 (11 KOs) and won his title with a split-decision victory over Raymond Ford in Riyadh in June.

His previous fight was a draw in a challenge for the WBC title held by Rey Vargas.

“I literally cannot wait to fight in Liverpool again, this time as a world champion,” said Ball. “It has been over four years and it will be really special for me.

 “Local interest in me and the other lads in the city is growing all the time and we all want to make Liverpool a regular destination for Frank and Queensberry. We’ve got the fighters to make this happen and I am sure the people will get behind us all.

“It has been a dream year for me with two world title fights so far, so to cap it off by defending my belt at home is the icing on the cake and I am so excited.”

Two fights ago, Californian Rios was stopped in the 12^th and final round of a fight with Murodjon Akhmadaliev for the IBF junior featherweight title. That was in June 2022.

Also on the Liverpool card, and following his dominant stoppage last time out in Birmingham, Andrew Cain (12-1, 11 KOs) will face Joshua John (10-2) for the Commonwealth and British bantamweight title, while the undefeated fighters Henry Turner (13-0, 5 KOs) and Jack Rafferty (23-0, 14 KOs) will meet for the Commonwealth and vacant British junior-welterweight titles.

As well as this, the stacked card will also feature Cuban prospect Jadier Herrera (15-0, 13 KOs), local Liverpool fighters Brad Strand (11-1-0, 3KOs) and Jack Turner (7-0, 6 KOs), plus Morecombe’s Nelson Birchall (4-0, 1 KOs).

Promoter Frank Warren added: “I am thrilled to be returning to Liverpool with a world title fight and, unquestionably, the best featherweight in the world in Nick Ball. His journey since beating Isaac Lowe at Wembley Stadium in 2022 has been a magical ride and nobody deserves a big homecoming more than Nick.”