ESPN’s Mike Coppinger brings word that WBA featherweight champion Nick Ball is “in the process of finalizing a deal” to face veteran Ronny Rios on October 5th in Ball’s hometown of Liverpool.
Rios (34-4, 17 KO) was previously slated to welcome Stephen Fulton to 126 this coming weekend, but presumably got pulled after Caleb Plant vs Trevor McCumby got rescheduled. Fate really doesn’t want “Cool Boy Steph” back in the ring anytime soon.
The 34-year old has twice challenged for world titles, dropping a 2017 decision to Rey Vargas and subsequently suffering a stoppage loss to Murodjon Akhmadaliev five years later. He was last seen in April, ending a 22-month layoff with a knockout of professional B-side Nicolas Polanco on ProBox TV.
Ball (20-0-1, 11 KO), meanwhile, makes his inaugural defense after dramatically edging out Raymond Ford for the belt as part of Queensberry’s sweep of Matchroom last June. He’d previously settled for a draw in a profoundly ugly match with the aforementioned Vargas that saw Ball do everything in his power to try and drag a watchable fight out of the longtime titlist.
Ball is must-watch TV and Rios is a tough out when he’s on. I’d have preferred to see Queensberry and Top Rank once again team up to pit Ball against Rafael Espinoza or one of their other top featherweights, but I’ll take it.