Featherweight sensation Nick Ball within touching distance of a world title shot
In the World Boxing Council’s latest rankings, for April 2023, undefeated WBC Silver featherweight champion Nick Ball (17-0, 10KOs) has moved up to No.4 in the ratings. He is also ranked WBO #8 and IBO #13.
It’s a lofty position that most fighters can only dream of reaching, considering there’s over 1,000 active featherweights boxing around the world right now.
The Liverpool talent is now close to a potential world title shot at the champion Rey Vargas, a two-weight world champ from Mexico, but the news hasn’t been received as well as you would expect from an ambitious young prospect.
The 26-year-old student of Everton Red Triangle gym was pleased yet nonplussed with his newest world ranking and he explained why: “To be honest with you, No.1 sounds better than No.4, so it’s all well and good being pleased and all that, but I know where I’m going and I know that I’m coming for that No.1 spot.”
WBC top tables
Fellow Briton, Josh Warrington, is currently positioned first in the top 15, three places above Nick, then follows American Joet Gonzalez (2nd) and Japanese Reiya Abe (3rd), both with three defeats each on their records.
The reigning champion from Mexico, Rey Vargas, was first crowned world champion in Britain, when he defeated Doncaster’s Gavin McDonnell for the vacant WBC World super-bantamweight title, six years ago in Hull.
He defended the belt at 122lbs five times before moving up to 126lbs where he edged unbeaten Filipino prodigy Mark Magsayo on points last July.
In his last fight, just recently in February, he attempted to make history as a three-weight world champion but was beaten by American O’Shaquie Foster for the WBC World super-featherweight title.
Having spent over 13 years in the pro ranks, first debuting in 2010, 32-year-old Vargas has not stopped any opponents for over six years and has just suffered his first ever defeat, with many contenders now believing he is there for the taking.
“I don’t really care about this Rey Vargas,” Nick said casually. “I haven’t seen much of him, I just know that if he’s still around when I’m in the way then he’s in trouble!”
Ball's breakout year
Last December, Nick was nominated for Prospect of the Year Award 2022 by the World Boxing Council after a standout year winning a trio of championship fights all by KO, where he knocked out three fighters in the first round, the middle round and the last round!
To kickstart 2022, the Ball set Wembley Stadium alight on St. George’s Day, on the undercard of Tyson Fury’s world title defence to Dillian Whyte in April, where he tore through bookies favourite Isaac Lowe in front of 94,000 fans. The all-action war was considered the fight of the night as the young Liverpudlian claimed the vacant WBC Silver featherweight strap with a brutal sixth-round stoppage.
The newly instated champion then defended his shiny green and gold belt to Nathanael Kakololo in July, stopping the teak-tough African champion in the 12th and final round with just 93 seconds of the contest remaining. The Namibian had lost three times before, but had never been stopped.
Ball ended the year as it began – with another knockout performance. Back down south, he headlined the iconic boxing venue, York Hall in Bethnal Green, last November. The 5ft 5in powerhouse blasted through Mexican Jesus Ramirez Rubio within just 108 seconds, even though he had stopped five from his last six opponents and was meant to represent a risky test for Ball, but the British prospect, defending his title for a second time, knocked him down three times to win his third fight of the year and 17th of his professional career.
What's next?
At British level, Ball is ranked fifth with boxing rankings website, BoxRec. All four fighters ahead of him are reigning or former world champions, such as Leigh Wood and IBO champ Jazza Dickens.
Signed to Hall of Fame promoter, Frank Warren, the next fight date for Ball is set to be announced imminently, with the opponent rumoured to be an unbeaten former world champion.
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WBC Top 15 featherweights
WBC Champion: Rey Vargas
WBC Silver: Nick Ball
WBC International: Louie Lynn
WBC Youth: Vacant
1 Josh Warrington
2 Joet Gonzalez
3 Reiya Abe
4 Nick Ball
5 Kiko Martinez
6 Isaac Dogboe
7 Satoshi Shimuzu
8 Ruben Villa
9 James Dickens
10 Lerato Dlamini
11 Ryosuke Iwasa
12 Jesse Magdaleno
13 Ryo Sagawa
14 Otabek Kholmatov
15 Nathaniel Collins
*Louie Lynn #18
*Jordan Gill #21
*Thomas P Ward #34
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