Four months after winning the WBA featherweight championship, Nick Ball made his first title defense on Oct. 5 against Ronny Rios. It was a homecoming for the champion as the event took place at M&S Arena in Liverpool, England.
Both fighters came into the bout with impressive resumes with the champion looking to keep his unbeaten 20-0-1 professional record intact. Meanwhile, the veteran Rios looked to end Ball's title reign in his home country and capture the WBA featherweight championship for the first time in his career.
The main event delivered from the opening bell and saw Bell turn in an incredible performance. The featherweight champion did well with his jab early on, but to Rios' credit, he was durable and connected with solid strikes.
Despite Rios gaining some momentum, Ball picked up the pace and began overwhelming the challenger with his volume and dropped him in the third round. His high boxing IQ was on display as he picked him moments and unloaded a flurry of strikes that landed and did damage.
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Although the challenger's toughness allowed him to stay in the fight, there was a clear discrepancy between the two competitors, and Ball was ahead on the scorecards. The champion continued to hunt the challenger down and overwhelmed him with combinations in the tenth round, resulting in Rios' corner throwing in the towel.
Check out the highlights from the final moments of Nick Ball vs. Ronny Rios below:
Nick Ball vs. Ronny Rios: Full card results
View the full results for the Nick Ball vs. Ronny Rios fight card below:
Fight Card
Nick Ball def. Ronny Rios via TKO (R10)
Jack Rafferty def. Henry Turner via TKO (R9)
Jack Turner def. Gonzalo Corinaldesi via knockout (R1)
Walter Fury def. Dale Arrowsmith via decision
Jadier Herrera def. Oliver Flores via TKO (R3)
Andrew Cain def. Lazaro Casseres via TKO (R2)
Joe Cooper def. Lukasz Barabasz via decision
Prelims
Lucas Biswana def. Jakub Laskowski via decision
Nelson Birchall def. Mark Butler via TKO (R3)
Brad Strand def. Marvin Solano via knockout (R6)
James McGivern def. Reuquen Cona Facundo Arce via decision
Boma Brown def. Amine Boucetta via knockout (R6)
Check out the official decision for Ball vs. Rios below: