World champion Ball punishes Rios in homecoming win

A bloodied Nick Ball defended his WBA featherweight satellite rubric successful his location metropolis with a punishing 10th circular stoppage triumph implicit Ronny Rios astatine Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena.

The 27-year-old bullied the American challenger, throwing almighty combinations and dropping Rios successful the 3rd and seventh.

Ball had to contend with humor pouring from his chemoreceptor from aboriginal successful the combat but a flurry of punches caused Rios, 34, to autumn retired of the ringing earlier the towel was thrown in.

"My chemoreceptor ever goes, it's boxing, you're going to get a small nosebleed, it's what makes champions," Ball said.

Just a stone's propulsion from his home, Kirkby-born Ball won his 3rd combat of 2024 and affirmed his presumption arsenic 1 of the champion featherweights successful the world.

"To beryllium honest, I deliberation I got a small spot carried distant with the assemblage - however bully it was. I got deed with a fewer excessively galore shots," said Ball, whose past 2 fights took spot successful Saudi Arabia.

The arena was astatine constricted capableness with astir of the apical tier closed off, but those successful attendance gave 'Wrecking Ball' a rapturous hero's invited connected his ringing walk.

Ball made his debut successful a Liverpool nighttime nine successful 2017 but had not fought successful the metropolis for much than 4 years. He darted to the ringing alternatively than allowing himself clip to savour the moment.

At conscionable 5ft 3in, what pressure-fighter Ball lacks successful tallness helium makes up with a relenting style, which was wide from the off.

He outmuscled Rios, with the challenger covering up arsenic near and close hooks landed connected the temple and snappy uppercuts snuck done the precocious guard.

The Californian was lasting up to the onslaught and drew humor from Ball's chemoreceptor successful the second, but the strength and powerfulness punches from the location combatant continued arsenic helium dropped Rios with a abbreviated near hook successful the third.

A seasoned campaigner, Rios made his debut successful 2008 but was competing for conscionable the 2nd clip successful 2 years.

He edged backmost into the contention with a close hook successful the 5th arsenic Ball - hampered by his nose, with his torso and shorts reddened - showed signs of slowing down.

Rios complained of a knockdown successful the seventh aft helium went down easy arsenic Ball threw a near hook.

A circular later, however, determination were nary complaints aft different Ball onslaught. Rios roseate to his feet and with the referee considering whether the combat should continue, the towel was thrown.

Liverpool boasts a affluent past of producing boxing champions – specified arsenic John Conteh, Tony Bellew and Natasha Jonas - and Ball is present flying the city's emblem connected the satellite stage.

After a arguable gully with WBC champion Rey Vargas successful March, helium impressed successful a points triumph implicit Raymond Ford successful May to go satellite champion and flourished successful his homecoming.

Ball is present targeting unification bouts. Rafael Espinoza holds the WBO rubric and Angelo Leo is the IBF champion, but determination is inactive unfinished concern with WBC holder Vargas.

"There's different 3 retired determination truthful I'm coming for them, coming for them belts - that greenish 1 would beryllium bully to get due to the fact that that should beryllium excavation anyway," helium said.

Former satellite champion Stephen Fulton has been named arsenic Ball's mandatory challenger aft his determination up successful weight, portion Ball besides harbours dreams of facing Japan's undisputed super-bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue.

A triumph implicit Inoue - nicknamed 'The Monster' for his 25 knockouts successful 28 wins - would beryllium difficult, but it would propel Ball towards the apical of the pound-for-pound list, arsenic good arsenic planetary stardom.