Potential Next Opponents for Nick Ball After Impressive Ronny Rios Win

On Saturday, October 5, Nick Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) successfully defended his WBA featherweight title, defeating American Ronny Rios (34-4, 17 KOs) by tenth-round TKO. The entire Queensberry Promotions card at the M&S Bank in Liverpool – was shown live on TNT Sports in the UK, while fans in the United States could watch on ESPN+. Following the successful first defence, attention now turns to what opponent could face the Liverpudlian in his next fight. Despite the WBA seemingly wanting him to defend his title against Stephen Fulton, Ball spoke after the fight and made it clear he wants unification fights.

Nick Ball Defeats Ronny Rios in Liverpool

Nick Ball Next Fight: Rey Vargas Rematch

On March 8, as part of the Knockout Chaos undercard, Nick Ball took on Rey Vargas for the Mexican fighters WBC title and after a difficult first half of the fight, where Vargas used his reach advantage to great effect, Ball closed the distance brilliantly and clawed his way back into the fight with great combination punching, knocking the Mexican fighter down twice, with the fight going the full 12 rounds. The judge’s scorecards read 116-110 for Ball, 114-112 for Vargas with the final card 113-113.

The Liverpudlian spoke about unification fights after the Rios win and specifically mentioned the belt held by Vargas: “That green one would be nice to get because that should be mine anyway, so hopefully, get that one.”

Angelo Leo

Angelo Leo (25-1, 12 KOs) is the current IBF champion following his shock stoppage win over Luis Alberto Lopez. It was a vicious left hook that left “Venado” unable to beat the count.

Leo is an intelligent fighter who used his jab brilliantly in his last fight. Should he face Ball, he would need to use his jab to control the distance and stop Ball from getting close and letting his combinations go. The Liverpudlian would undoubtedly relish the opportunity to become a unified champion.

Rafael Espinoza

Rafael Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) won the WBO title when he claimed an upset win over Robeisy Ramirez. At over 6ft tall, he would provide an awkward puzzle for Ball to overcome.

Espinoza has a high output and uses his reach to great effect, but Ball’s experience against Vargas will be valuable to him should he face “El Divino.” Ball has an incredible engine and throws fast, accurate combinations, and should he get past the reach advantage, Ball-Espinoza could provide plenty of fireworks.