WBA featherweight champion Nick Ball (21-0-1, 12 KOs) has a troublesome necessary challenger, Stephen Fulton, who will probably be coming for him subsequent after his grueling tenth-round knockout win on Saturday night time towards Ronny Rios (34-5, 17 KOs) on the M&S Financial institution Enviornment in Liverpool.
The previous WBC and WBO tremendous bantamweight champion Fulton’s boxing abilities will probably be a giant downside for the 5’2″ Ball if that battle occurs subsequent as a result of he’s bought the sort of potential that the 27-year-old hasn’t seen earlier than.
That was Ball’s first protection of his newly received WBA 126-lb title, however he might have to face his necessary Fulton (22-1 8 KOs) subsequent if the World Boxing Affiliation orders the match. Ball mentioned tonight that he needs to battle a unification subsequent agakint one of many champions at 126, however we’ll see if the WBA will enable that.
Fulton misplaced to Naoya Inoue in July final yr by an eighth-round knockout in Tokyo, Japan. It was an excessive amount of firepower for Fulton on the time, and he fought too cautiously towards the Japanese star in entrance of his followers on the Ariake Enviornment. In opposition to Ball, Fulton would be capable to take care of fashion so much simpler as a result of he’s not a sharpshooter with Inoue’s velocity and energy.
#1 WBA Fulton appeared spectacular final month, defeating Carlos Castro by a show-stealing 10-round break up choice win on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga on September 14th on the T-Cell Enviornment in Las Vegas.
If the WBA lets Ball swerve Fulton to battle one of many different champions at featherweight, a battle towards WBO champion Rafael Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) could be the logical one to make subsequent.
“I’m all the time seeking to take them out, it doesn’t matter what. If I’m feeling the tempo, then they’re going to be feeling the tempo ten instances worse. Preserve going till the bell goes, till the battle is over,” mentioned Nick Ball to Boxing Social.
“In boxing, it comes right down to who needs it essentially the most. Whenever you’re in there, it’s simply you and him. It’s who needs it most.”
Final Up to date on 10/05/2024
