Undefeated Nick Ball made to work for 10th professional win by former Olympian
Unbeaten super-featherweight Nick Ball moved up to 10-0 with a shutout points win over former Olympian Abdon Cesar (3-10) on September 21 at the Greenbanks Sports Academy in Liverpool.
Headliner of the Black Flash Promotions ‘September Showdown’ event, Ball won all six rounds against the London 2012 Olympian.
Coming into the fight off the back off four straight KO’s, the 22-year-old Liverpudlian, trained by Paul Stevenson at the thriving Everton Red Triangle gym, was forced to go the distance for the first time since March 2018.
His Cameroonian opponent was a bronze medalist in the 2011 All-Africa Games and was significantly taller than the home fighter by at least five inches or more.
Despite the size disadvantage, the smaller Ball managed to land his jab well but gave fans a scare when he slipped in the second stanza.
The Central African was a skilled and educated opponent but his punches had no power in them and had nothing to trouble Ball with.
Ball increased the intensity in the third round looking to hurt Cesar, who now resides in Stockton-on-Tees, but his work was smothered by the intelligent fighter who knew just what to do to survive the attacks, and the unbeaten powerhouse was forced to hear the bell for the fourth round for the first time in over 18 months.
A former Junior ABA champion, Ball was still trying to find a big shot to hurt the 33-year-old travelling opponent with but it was becoming more and more evident that the contest was going to play out to the final bell, which it did, scored at 60-54 to Ball.
It was ‘Abdon Mewoli’s’ first fight in three-years, his last contest way back in September 2016 against the current British super-featherweight champion Sam Bowen when ‘Bullet’ was just 6-0 at the time.
The standout amateur performed well, although he looked tired in the closing rounds, due to Ball’s persistent pressure and high output.
For Ball, it was a good workout and valuable learning fight to take towards title contention, which he will inevitably be working towards next. However, it was revealed after the fight that Ball busted his right hand as early as round one.
Four-time national amateur champion Andrew Cain scored his fourth stoppage win in as many fights with a one-sided beatdown of tough Nicaraguan Elvis Guillen (9-59-4).
23-year-old Cain was exciting from start to finish as he held his hands down low and flicked out his jab frequently. The featherweight prospect doubled up his left hooks, looked for openings, then finished matters at ease in the second round when he decided he wanted to end the contest by rattling off combinations on ‘Rokero’ with no reply whatsoever.
Cain oozed confidence and calmness as he cruised to another stoppage victory, only completing nine from a scheduled 16 rounds so far in his professional career.
Merseyside middleweight Harry Woods (3-0) was subjected to a frustrating fight due to opponent Victor Edagha’s (2-63-3) persistent movement and awkward style.
Woods chased the Roma-born boxer around for 12 minutes trying to cut off the ring, restricted to only being able to throw single shots mostly. The London-based Italian knows how to use the ring well to keep away from danger and played his journeyman role to the letter.
Woods found the 69-fight veteran, who has only being stopped three times, incredibly hard to pin down and his frustration was evident to see when he pushed his opponent to the floor in both the first and last rounds, but he banked another four important professional rounds, totaling up to 12 now since his debut in March this year.
European bronze medalist Connor Butler (3-0-1) started fast and wasted no time in getting to grips with southpaw Steven Maguire (0-17-1).
Despite catching a southpaw jab flush on the face midway through the opener, as he attempted to close the gap, a left hook to the body from the three-time national amateur champion visibly hurt Maguire as he doubled over and he continued to work the body from both sides from there.
The travelling opponent from Middleton was breathing heavily after a painful first round and had even more of a torrid time in the second as he was cut badly over the left eye, causing a premature end to the four-round bantamweight contest, which the referee ruled as a technical draw.
Nick Ball’s sparring partner Jonathan Walsh (3-0) secured his first stoppage win when he halted Youssef Al Hamidi (16-125-5) in the second round of their scheduled four-round super-lightweight contest.
Walsh, a Haringey Box Cup winner known as ‘Jof’, was calm and collected, tall and rangy, and his long shots looked spiteful. Midway through the second stanza, a long-reaching right hand spun the 41-year-old’s head around and he was left momentarily hanging twisted over the ropes, prompting the official to abandon the contest.
2018 Senior ABA champion Bradley Strand (2-0) defeated Batley’s Nabil Ahmed (0-3) over four-rounds at super-bantamweight. Strand prevailed 40-36 on points, but Ahmed was game and aggressive, making it competitive throughout.
Carly Skelly (2-0) doubled her win tally with a 40-36 points win over Roz Mari Silyanova (1-7-1) at the end of an entertaining four two-minute rounds bantamweight contest to build on her debut win over Bec Connolly (2-5).
Debutant Jack McKinlay (1-0) kicked off his pro career with a decision over seasoned veteran William ‘Warby’ Warburton (26-156-10).
‘Jack the Ripper’ was throwing heavy shots to head and body during the four-round welterweight contest but the 192-fight experienced expert stood firm throughout the attacks.
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