Nick Ball Takes Head Home, Defends Title Against Ronny Rios On October 5th In Liverpool
Nick Ball was hoping for a big fight in his next outing.
He will gladly accept the action of the mayor of his town.
The undefeated WBA featherweight will make his first defense against former title challenger Ronny Rios. The fight will be at the top of the Oct. Sports card. 5 TNT from the M&S Bank Arena in his hometown of Liverpool, England.
“I can’t wait to fight in Liverpool again, this time as world champion,” said Ball. “It’s been four years and it’s going to be special for me.”
Ball (20-0-1, 11 knockouts) won the belt in a thrilling twelve-round split decision over Raymond Ford (15-1-1, 8 KOs, No. 8 at 126). Their June 1 Fight of the Year opponent saw Ball, The Ring’s No. 4 at featherweight, winning in his second title bid.
His debut effort ended in a twelve-round draw against WBC title holder Rey Vargas (36-1-1, 22 KOs), who is ranked No. 3 at 126. Both fights took place at the Riyadh Season Shows in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“It’s been a dream year for me with two world title fights so far,” commented Ball. “To finish defending my belt at home is the icing on the cake and I’m very happy.”
Added Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren: “I’m really excited to be back in Liverpool with a world title fight against, arguably, the best featherweight in the world in Nick Ball. His journey since beating Isaac Lowe at Wembley Stadium in 2022 has been a magical one. No one deserves to come home more than Nick.”
Rios (34-4, 17 KOs) hopes to win his first major belt in his third try.
The 34-year-old from Santa Ana came up short in an August 2017 WBC 122-pound title bid against Vargas. His challenge to then-undefeated WBA/IBF junior featherweight title Murodjon Akhmadaliev (12-1, 9 KOs) proved disastrous. Rios was stopped in the 12th and final round of their June 2022 tournament in San Antonio, Texas.
One win was followed by a rival from Santa Ana, California. Rios, the older brother of Ring No. 8 welterweight Alexis Rocha (25-2, 16 KOs) stopped Nicolas Polanco (21-6-1, 12 KOs) in the fourth round on the April 24 ProBox show. A featherweight fight, where Rios hopes to get lucky on the title stage.
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