Nick Ball opens up on his rise from fighting in Liverpool nightclubs to Mike Tyson comparisons
ECHO exclusive as Connor O’Neill chats to Nick Ball ahead of his WBA featherweight title fight against Brandon Figueroa at the M&S Bank Arena on Saturday night
Nick Ball walks to the ring ahead of his fight against Sam Goodman(Image: (Richard Pelham/Getty Images))
From plastering with his dad and fighting in nightclubs to packing out the biggest arena in Liverpool as a world champion, it has been quite the rise for Nick Ball. Thousands of Scousers will again descend on the M&S Bank Arena this weekend as Ball puts his WBA featherweight title on the line against Brandon Figueroa.
Saturday night’s event will be a far cry from Ball’s early days on the small-hall circuit, and that makes him even more determined to come out on top. “It is going to be another special night in the city,” he told the ECHO. “I am looking forward to it as these are the shows that always mean the most to me.
“This is where I have come from. This is where I started out on the small hall shows selling tickets. This is me fighting in front of my people.
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“I have had people behind me supporting me from day one until now and I am world champion. It is massively important to bring shows to Liverpool.
“My family can come watch me and that is important. When I was starting off they were coming to the leisure centres and the nightclubs to watch me.
“They were buying tickets off me when I needed people to buy tickets off me to fight. They were doing that and for them to come now and I’m a world champion, it means everything to me.
“They are my people and the people I want around me. They are the people I am fighting for. I want them by my side.
Nick Ball with Frank Warren after his win over TJ Doheny(Image: (Leigh Dawney/Queensberry Promotions))
“I would be lying if I said that these shows in Liverpool don’t mean the most to me. These mean the most to me. It is massive.”
Since his triumph in seizing the WBA belt from Raymond Ford in June 2024, the 28-year-old has registered successful defences against Ronny Rios, TJ Doheny and, most recently, Sam Goodman to retain his unbeaten (23-0-1, 13 KOs) status as champion.
His short but stocky frame for the division and his style has led to some comparisons with his idol Mike Tyson.
“Getting compared to Mike Tyson – if that is what people do, then that is on them, but it is good because that is what people want to watch,” he said, smiling.
“People who aren’t involved in boxing and just watch now and then want to watch exciting fights and my style brings that.”
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Following his win over Goodman at the ANB Arena in Riyadh last time out, Ball wasted no time in calling out Naoya Inoue.
The Japanese fighter, who is the reigning WBA, WBC, WBO, IBF and Ring Magazine super-bantamweight champion, has beaten every opponent on his way to claiming world titles in four different weight classes.
But that hasn’t put Ball off, who believes: “It would be a shame if it didn’t happen. It has been spoken about that much for it not to happen would be shame. Everyone has been asking me about it.
“It has also been spoken about to Frank (Warren) and Turki (Turki Al-Sheikh), so I think there is a plan there to make it happen, and it is just a matter of when.
“But he has to come through his next fight and I have to come through mine. Everything isn’t guaranteed in boxing. When the time is right, it will happen.”
First, though, Ball must deal with his American mandatory challenger.
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