World Championship fight in Riyadh: Nick Ball meets Sam Goodman and doesn’t want to be distracted by talks about Naoya Inoue.
Riyadh has become a good place for Nick Ball. Just over a year ago, the Brit traveled to Saudi Arabia to take the WBC featherweight title from Rey Vargas – and fought to a controversial draw. Three months later he returned, dethroned the unbeaten WBA champion Raymond Ford and secured the world championship belt. This weekend, Ball (22-0-1, 13 knockouts) defends his title for the third time – against unbeaten Australian Sam Goodman (20-0, 8 knockouts) in the Saudi capital. The fight is part of the Esports World Cup Fight Week and will be broadcast live on DAZN pay-per-view.
The 28-year-old, currently the No. 3 featherweight in the world according to The Ringis considered a rather quiet character, but appreciates the big stage in Saudi Arabia. “Fightweek and the promotion here are next level – and the pay is better. We risk our lives, so we should get the rewards,” says Nick Ball.
In recent months, there has been repeated speculation about a possible fight against Japan’s superstar Naoya Inoue, who is due to make his debut in Riyadh in December. But Ball doesn’t want to be distracted by this: “There’s no point talking about Inoue if I don’t beat Goodman. One punch can end everything – and I’m fully focused on this fight.”
Text by Robin Josten