WBA featherweight world champion Nick Ball will make the first defense of his crown against Ronny Rios in the main event this Saturday, Oct. 5, at M&S Bank Arena in Ball’s hometown of Liverpool, England.
Promoted by Queensberry Promotions, Ball-Rios headlines a stacked card that will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.
Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) defeated former world champion Isaac Dogboe by decision last November and fought to a draw against Rey Vargas in a bid for the WBC crown in March. Less than three months later, he captured world title glory in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, edging Ray Ford via split decision for the WBA strap. Rios (34-4, 17 KOs) is a two-time world title challenger from Southern California who enters this assignment after an impressive fifth-round stoppage over Nicolas Polanco in April. He was off nearly two years before the Polanco fight, losing via 12th-round stoppage to then-unified world champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev in June 2022.
In other streaming action from Liverpool:
Henry Turner (13-0, 5 KOs) vs. Jack Rafferty (23-0, 14 KOs), 12 Rounds, Commonwealth, British, and WBC International Silver Junior Welterweight Titles
Jack Turner (8-0, 7 KOs) vs. Gonzalo Corinaldesi (5-6-1, 1 KO), 6 Rounds, Bantamweights
Jadier Herrera (15-0, 13 KOs) vs. Oliver Flores (31-5-2, 20 KOs), 10 Rounds, Vacant WBA Intercontinental Lightweight Title
Walter Fury (1-0) vs. Dale Arrowsmith (6-114-5, 1 KO), 4 Rounds, Junior Middleweights
Andrew Cain (12-1, 11 KOs) vs. Lazaro Casseres (11-1, 4 KOs), 10 Rounds, Vacant WBC International Silver Bantamweight Title
Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a passion for Combat Sports and also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.
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