MANCHESTER, England — Following his unanimous decision victory against Isaac Dogboe in Manchester, Nick Ball, 26, is now eligible to compete for the WBC featherweight title.
The bout was a WBC final eliminator for the title that Rey Vargas held. Although he did battle at 130 pounds earlier this year against O’Shaquie Foster, Vargas hasn’t defended the title since defeating Mark Magsayo in July 2022.
Isaac Dogboe(24-4, 15 KO) was competitive in most of the rounds and was threatening the entire time, but Ball who mainly controlled the bout, was the better man and won, solidifying his ranking as one of the top 10 fighters at 126.
“I’m feeling good, it was a good performance from myself. I had to keep my cool in there and control the fight,” said Ball in media reports.
“I feel like I’ve just controlled that fight at world level. I’ve just put myself in position (to fight for a world title),” he added.
“If Ball doesn’t get his shot at the WBC belt next, it will be the fight after that, and that we’ll make sure it’s over here in the United Kingdom,” said promoter Frank Warren.
With his all-action, take no prisoners approach, Ball, one of the most exciting fighters in Britain today, has become a fan favorite over the last 18 months or so.
Dogboe put Ball’s body to the test with some hard shots as he knew when and how to tuck up when necessary. By the ninth round, Dogboe appeared exhausted, but he persevered.
Ball(19-0, 11 KOs) was caught by Dogboe at the end of the ninth round when he had to take some hard shots. Even though the fight had not yet ended, Ball was still full of fire.
At the final bell, it was obvious who had won, even if Dogboe remained a threat and Ball’s nose did bleed. Ball will probably have to wait until till 2024 to get a shot at the WBC title despite him sitting as the mandatory competitor now.
Despite losing by a significant margin, Dogboe showed that he still has a lot left in the tank.
