WBA featherweight champion Nick Ball will face the challenge of Ronny Rios over 12 rounds on October 5 in Liverpool. After a thrilling split decision win over Raymond Ford in June to claim the title, Ball will have a homecoming for his first title defense. The No. 5 ranked featherweight is a Liverpool native and a huge -1800 favorite to successfully defend. Back in March in his first title challenge, Ball earned respect flooring WBC champ Rey Vargas twice in a split draw.
Approaching 35 years of age, this is likely the last chance for Rios to get a signature win and earn a strap. At least he should be well rested for the opportunity. Back in June 2022, Rios suffered a 12th round TKO at the hands of super bantamweight champ Murodjan Akhmadaliev putting him on the shelf for nearly two years. He returned from the shadows with a KO of Nicolas Polanco in April. That didn’t sway oddsmakers who listed Rios as a +900 underdog on the early boxing betting line.
Nick Ball vs. Ronny Rios Betting Odds
Nick Ball -1800
Ronny Rios +900
The 12-round featherweight title fight between undefeated WBA champion Nick Ball ( 20-0-1, 11 KOs ) and challenger Ronny Rios ( 34-4, 17 KOs ) is scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 5, 2024 at Liverpool Arena in Liverpool, England.
Nick Ball vs. Ronny Rios Fight Preview
You have to like the chances of Ball winning and defending his WBA title that he wrestled from the arms of Raymond Ford just about four months ago. A local fighter in England throughout the early stages of his career, Ball slowly climbed the ranks winning his first 14 bouts before taking on Isaac Lowe for the vacant WBC silver featherweight title. He won the fight by sixth-round TKO and successfully retained the strap four times earning him a crack at the WBC title against champ Rey Vargas.
Facing an older, more experienced fighter, Ball was more active and relentless. It’s a style the he’s perfected over the years and he uses his speed and footwork to his advantage. He packs a strong punch with more than half of his fights ending before the judges, but he’s not always searching for the KO. And his fearlessness makes him an opponent to be concerned about.
Ball has a motor that doesn’t quit and relies more on volume of punches. He’s also been borderline dirty in some of his bouts with several opponents calling him out. Ball will go on the offensive from the start of the fight and won’t let up. He’s gotten away with that style his entire career and after more than 20 fights it isn’t going to change.
Rios is a formidable opponent with experience and downtime on his side. Since losing to Akhmadaliev in June 2022 he’s had just one fight. Over that same time frame Ball has six fights on his resume with this being his third fight in 2024. Maybe a little more concerning is that Ball’s last three fights all went the distance with the bout prior to that stretch ending in a 12th round TKO of Ludumo Lamati. So it’s not like Ball has been dispatching opponents early. Those rounds and hits add up, and though Rios is a major underdog it could be worth the investment to sink a few bills on him with a monster payday for the upset.
One thing holding Rios back is his footwork. He’s failed to dance and move out of tough situations often leaving him vulnerable in wild exchanges. And it seems as though he likes being the home run hitter too often wildly swinging away hoping to land a KO punch. And when he doesn’t he’s left exposed to quick counters.
Bet Nick Ball vs. Ronny Rios
I’m tempted in this fight to drop a few bucks on Rios and hope for a massive upset and equally massive payout. There is no value backing Ball with such long odds so picking a round and/or method of victory is the only way to shift odds in your favor. The thing with Rios is that he puts himself in vulnerable positions and against a relentless opponent like Ball that’s a good recipe for a KO.
Boxing Odds Pick: Nick Ball / KO
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