Nick Ball Repeatedly Drops, Stops Ronny Rios to Retain Featherweight Title

Nick Ball (21-0-1, 12 KOs) had to repeatedly drop Ronny Rios (34-5, 17 KOs) to retain his world title in his hometown.

The time of stoppage was 2:06 in round 10. With the win, Ball makes the first successful defence of his WBA featherweight title. He won the belt off of Raymond Ford earlier this year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a split decision victory.

The fight headlined a Queensberry Promotions card at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England. Boxing fans in the United Kingdom could catch the action live on TNT Sports. Those in the United States could do so with ESPN+.

Nick Ball Retains Featherweight Title Against Ronny Rios

Nick Ball vs. Ronny Rios Fight Recap

Ball got off to an aggressive start, swinging powerful shots at his opponent in the opening round. Rios responded sporadically, but his punches did little to deter the reigning champion’s aggression. In round two, Ball began to bleed from the nose, which continued throughout the fight.

In round three, Rios went down from a barrage of punches but somehow survived the round.

Nick Ball drops Ronny Rios! 💥 #BallRios pic.twitter.com/HGG6PJHY3t

— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) October 5, 2024

Following the knockdown, Ball continued to pummel away at Rios, but the challenger refused to relent. Rios may not have thrown as many punches as the Liverpudlian, but he was getting his shots in from time to time, preventing the referee from stepping in to stop the fight. However, he continued to take several punches to the head.

In round seven, a left hand sent Rios down once again, though on closer inspection it seemed as though there was also a bit of pushing involved as well. Unlike round three, he did not take as much punishment following the knockdown.

Ball continued to hammer away at the head of Rios in the tenth. Eventually, the Liverpudlian had his opponent on the retreat and proceeded to knock him out of the ropes. Yet again Rios got up, but by then his corner had thrown in the towel and the fight was waved off by referee Bob Williams, giving Ball the stoppage win.

NICK BALL IS WORLD CLASS! 🥊🏆 #BallRios pic.twitter.com/zhSmTWQyne

— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) October 5, 2024

Post-Fight Interview

Nick Ball

“Yeah, delighted, yeah,” said Ball. “Massive turnout for me. To be honest, I think I got a bit carried away with the crowd…[took] a few too many shots, but, it is what it is and it’s what makes it a good fight. It’s exciting.”

“He [Rios] is a tough man. He came back as well to be fair with him. All respect to him.”

“My nose always goes. That’s boxing innit. You’re gonna get a little nose bleed, but that’s what makes champions come to. They bounce back.”

Undercard

Jack Rafferty (24-0, 15 KOs) won via ninth-round corner retirement against Henry Turner (13-1, 5 KOs). The official stoppage time for this 12-round super lightweight fight was 3:00. Late in the ninth, Turner went down from a barrage of body shots. He beat the count and walked to his corner at the round’s end. However, his corner waved off the contest and Turner did not come out for the tenth. With the victory, Rafferty retains his Commonwealth title and collects the vacant British title.

Jack Turner (9-0, 8 KOs) won via first-round knockout against Gonzalo Corinaldesi (5-7-1, 1 KO). The stoppage time for this six-round bantamweight bout was 2:47. Turner hit Corinaldesi with a massive left uppercut, who then hit the canvas and was out for some time before standing up.

Walter Fury (2-0, 0 KOs) won on points against Dale Arrowsmith (6-115-5, 1 KO) in a four-round super welterweight clash. Referee Mark Lyson’s final scorecard read 40-36.

Jadier Herrera (16-0, 14 KOs) won via third-round technical knockout against Oliver Flores (31-6-2, 20 KOs). The stoppage time for this 10-round lightweight contest was 0:30. Herrera hit Flores with a left uppercut to the body. Referee Steve Gray waved off the fight as Flores was getting up.

Andrew Cain (13-1, 12 KOs) won via second-round TKO against Lazaro Casseres (11-2, 4 KOs). The stoppage time for this 10-round bantamweight fight was 1:48. With over two minutes to go Casseres went down from a right uppercut. Two hard left hands from Cain caused referee Victor Loughlin to step in and end things, with Casseres still standing.

Opening the main broadcast, Joe Cooper (2-0, 0 KOs) won on points against Lukasz Barabasz (4-14, 2 KOs). Referee Steve Gray’s final scorecard read 40-37 for this four-round middleweight bout.

Preliminary Undercard

Lucas Biswana (1-0, 0 KOs) won on points against Jakub Laskowski (4-32-1, 2 KOs) in a four-round welterweight contest. Referee Lyson’s final scorecard read 40-36.

Nelson Birchall (6-0, 3 KOs) won via third-round technical knockout against Mark Butler (3-13, 1 KO). The time of stoppage for this six-round super featherweight clash was 1:22. Birchall was landing at will in the third, causing referee Gray to step in with Butler still standing.

Brad Strand (12-1, 4 KOs) won via sixth-round knockout against Marvin Solano (24-20, 8 KOs). The time of stoppage for this eight-round featherweight clash was 2:47. Solano lost a point in the third for a rabbit punch. In round six, Strand hit him with a right hand and he was unable to beat the count of referee Lyson, putting an end to proceedings.

James McGivern (10-0, 3 KOs) won on points against Reuquen Arce (17-17-2, 7 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight fight. Referee Gray’s final scorecard read 80-72.

Opening the broadcast on YouTube, Boma Brown (5-0, 3 KOs) won via a KO in round number six against Amine Boucetta (8-17, 0 KOs). The time of stoppage for this six-round heavyweight bout was 0:39. A right uppercut from Brown sent his opponent to the canvas. Boucetta could not beat the count of referee Lyson, giving Brown the knockout win.