NICK Ball left the Riyadh ring with a sparkling WBA featherweight title still attached to his waist. After 12 seemingly nip-and-tuck rounds with Australian challenger Sam Goodman, the scores were perhaps a little wider than many anticipated.
Ball’s promoter, Frank Warren, had his pocket rocket winning by four rounds, crediting Goodman for giving a “marvellous account of himself”. After being quizzed by Boxing News reporter Andi Purewal, the veteran promoter revealed that big fights, mainly unifications, are of interest next.
Back in the ring, Goodman, for all of his qualities, was upright and remained in hittable range just long enough for Ball to unleash his bombs. If Sam could hit a little harder, it might’ve been a different story.
Finding Ball with shots, especially to the body, wasn’t a problem. Keeping him at bay and making the Liverpool man think twice about burrowing inside was a wider issue.
The original touted foe, Luis Nery, would’ve brought that element of stylistic jeopardy, given his punching power. Speaking of punching power, Naoya Inoue can certainly bang a bit.
A fight between the Japanese destroyer and Ball would spark interest, should Inoue chance a move north. If Inoue’s power carries, Ball might have to rethink his own approach a little. Goodman enjoyed plenty of success downstairs and with the left hook up top.
One of Ball’s key strengths is that he makes you fight. Avoiding a physical battle for long periods is impossible. When Goodman enjoyed success in the earlier Riyadh rounds, it wasn’t long before Ball stopped trying to overwhelm and instead worked his way in behind the powerful up jab. He dragged the Aussie into a fight, as Sam scrambled to escape the phone box battle.
As for those unifications, the featherweight division is rather unique in that it holds a number of champions and challengers with different skillsets and styles. IBF king Angelo Leo is a proven fast-paced operator with a sharp left hook.
WBC champion Stephen Fulton holds two wins over Brandon Figueroa. Rafael Espinoza’s long levers and dimensions are primed to cause issues for anyone. A fight between him and Ball would produce interesting visuals when they stepped off in centre ring.
Elsewhere, the likes of Figueroa, Bruce Carrington, Luis Nery and Robeisy Ramirez are all still hanging around, although none hold the titles or risk-and-reward potential required for Ball and Warren’s liking. Either way, the time has arrived for career-defining matches with contemporary champions. Both Warren and Ball know that.
