STAR BOXING PREVIEW Sat: Nick Ball v Ronny Rios

WBA world featherweight champion Nick Ball (20-0-1 11KO) will make the first defence of his strap in front of a home crowd as he welcomes American Ronny Rios (34-4 17KO) to Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena, writes JORDAN NEILD.

Scouser Ball won the title in highly impressive fashion earlier this year by beating previously unbeaten Ray Ford and will be hoping to make another statement this weekend.

Nick Ball exploded onto the scene in 2022 when he knocked out Isaac Lowe on the Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte undercard and he has done nothing but impress since. His performance against Ray Ford last time in Saudi solidified him as one of the best 126lb fighters on the planet and he looks like a fighter that could dominate for a long time.

Despite his newfound fame and reputation, Nick Ball remains his authentic self. He has little time for cutting promos, starting rivalries or media in general. He is something of a throwback fighter who cares only about what happens in the ring on fight night and his refreshing no frills nature has made him a popular figure with fans.

The 27-year-old scouser has his eyes set on fighting the other champions in the division and even a potential clash with Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue but first he must get past Ronny Rios and although he is a heavy favourite, it’s these homecoming fights that have proven to be banana skins for so many champions in the past.

Ronny Rios arrives in Liverpool as an underdog and with nothing to lose. The 34-year-old American is a two-time world title challenger with a wealth of experience and although he has never found success at world title level, he will be hoping he can spring an upset against a fighter making his first ever title defence.

Rios’ best performance at world title level came in 2017 when he pushed Rey Vargas all the way before ultimately losing a unanimous decision. Crucially, that performance was down at super bantamweight which looks to be the American’s natural weight class and with this contest up at featherweight, it’ll be surprising if he arrives in Liverpool in that sort of form.

Across a 16-year professional career, Ronny Rios has proven he is a worthy contender without ever threatening the champions. He is solid in all areas offensively but three knockouts in his four defeats suggests there will be holes for Nick Ball to exploit and he looks up against it, especially on away soil.

Nick Ball is the most exciting featherweight in the world and he is too dedicated and too well prepared to slip up in a fight like this. He brings a pace and ferocity that few fighters can handle and he will be looking to give his home fans something to cheer about this weekend.

Nick Ball to win in rounds 1-3 is the bet here. (9/2).

The chief support bout is a battle of two undefeated super-lightweights in the shape of Henry Turner and Jack Rafferty. This is the most competitive fight on the card and with the British super-lightweight title on the line, we can expect both men to be at their best.

Henry Turner starts as the slight favourite and the 24-year-old has been highly impressive through 13 professional fighters. Brought along expertly by promoter Frank Warren, he has gained experience on high profile cards and wins over the likes of Tom Farrell and Billy Allington have prepared him well for this sort of test.

Jack Rafferty has been a professional since 2017 and although he has earned a reputation of being a solid domestic campaigner, he has never had the push of a major promoter and has had to scrap for every opportunity he has had.

The 29-year-old has some solid wins against the likes of Lee Appleyard and Ben Fields and has managed to claim the commonwealth title along the way. Rafferty knows this is an opportunity that he can let slip by and he will be hoping his experience will set him apart from Henry Turner when the bell goes.

This is a brilliant bit of matchmaking and it’s a fight that can truly go either way but Henry Turner has shown glimpses of brilliance in his early career and providing he handles the big stage, under the lights, he can come thorugh this test and announce himself as the main man in the British super-lightweight division.

Henry Turner to win by decision is the bet in this one. (6/4).

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RECOMMENDED BETS
BACK Nick Ball to win in rounds 1-3 1pt at 9/2 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Henry Turner to win by decision 2pts at 6/4 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)

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(OCT 2024): PROFIT/LOSS -4.00 POINTS

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