Nick Ball vs Ronny Rios Preview October 5th, 2024
Unbeaten WBA Featherweight Champion Nick Ball defends his belt for the first time when he takes on Ronny Rios of Compton, California this Saturday, October 5th. Ball won the title in his last outing in June when he edged Raymond Ford by a split decision. Ford had won the title in March with a dramatic last round TKO over Otabek Kholmatov with just seven seconds to go in the fight while trailing on two of the three scorecards 106-103. This weekend’s 12-rounder from Ball’s hometown of Liverpool, England can be seen live in the UK and Ireland on TNT Sports 1 while those in America can catch it on ESPN+. Rios last fought in April when he stopped Nicolas Polanco in the fourth round.
Ball vs Rios Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Ronny Rios +500
- Nick Ball -800
My Pick
The 27-year-old Ball of Liverpool, enters the contest with a near-perfect mark of 20-0-1 with 11 Ko’s and has 114 rounds of pro experience to his name since making his debut in 2017. Prior to that he enjoyed a good amateur career which saw him box at the 2013 Great Britain Junior Championships. He measures 5-feet-2-inches tall with an unlisted reach so gives up 5.5 inches in height to Rios. He has decent power in his fists with 55 per cent of his wins coming by stoppage but has gone the distance in his last three fights.
He won five fights in a row by stoppage and 11 of 13 until going the distance with Isaac Dogboe last November and had been a bit of a wrecking ball over that stretch. That being said just one of his first 11 opponents had a winning record. Ball won the vacant WBC Silver Featherweight Title in April, 2022 when he stopped Isaac Lowe in the sixth round and has defended it three times against Nathanael Kakololo, Jesus Ramirez Rubio and Ludumo Lamati, all by stoppage.
Two of those wins came in the 12th and final round so it’s obvious Ball’s power is still evident late in fights. Ball’s first attempt at a world title came against Rey Vargas in March but he failed to lift the belt as the two battled to a 12-round split decision draw. Ball dropped Vargas in the eighth and 11th rounds but the scorecards read 116-110, 113-113 and 112-114 and Vargas retained the WBC Featherweight Title in a very controversial decision.
The 34-year-old Rios climbs through the ropes with a mark of 34-4 with 17 Kos and has boxed 234 rounds since making his pro debut in 2013. He’s been beaten by Robinson Castellanos in 2014; Rey Vargas in 2017; Azat Hovhannisyan in 2018 and Murodjon Akhmadaliev in 2022. He went the distance with Vargas in a shot at the WBC Super Bantamweight Title, was stopped in the fifth round by Castellanos, halted in the sixth round by Hovhannisyan in an attempt at the WBC Continental Americas Super Bantamweight Belt and was stopped in the 12th round by Akhmadaliev in a shot at the IBF Super Bantamweight Crown.
Rios stands just over 5-feet-7-inches tall with a 67-inch reach and has average power as 50 per cent of his victories have come by stoppage including four of his past five. He’s a solid pro with good skills but typically falls short when stepping up in class and has been stopped in three of his four losses. As an amateur, Rios was a 2007 United States Amateur Bantamweight Champion, a 2007 National Golden Gloves Bantamweight Champion and a 2008 United States Amateur Bantamweight Champion.
Since turning pro he’s captured the WBA Gold World, and NABF Super Bantamweight Titles as well as the WBC Silver Featherweight Belt and NABF Featherweight Championship. He’s beaten some pretty good boxers along the way such as Polanco, Oscar Negrete, Roger Gonzalez, Rico Ramos, Andrew Cancio, Jayson Velez and Diego De La Hoya.
Prediction…
Ball is a relatively young pro with good skills and enough power to do some damage, even late in fights. Rios doesn’t have the greatest chin so he’s going to need to stay away from Ball’s power shots by staying on the outside or simply absorb them. Rios may have the edge in pure skills but I believe the aggressive Ball will hunt him down in the ring and pound out a win with a stoppage being a pretty likely outcome.
Ball should prevail due to his aggressiveness.
Play: Ball -800 @ BetOnline.ag
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Nick Ball betting • Ronny Rios betting