Boxing star Nick Bell coul be catapulted into superstardom and earn a fight against Naoya Inoue in Saudi Arabia later this year if he can defeat TJ Doheny in Liverpool this weekend
Nick Ball makes the second defence of my old title, the WBA featherweight crown, in front of a home crowd in Liverpool.
Not only is that another great career moment, it will catapult him into a different orbit should he take care of TJ Doheny as I expect. Ball is exciting, heavy-handed and walks forward. I fought aggressively so I’m always predisposed to guys who like to force the action.
Though not tall, he’s crammed into the nine stone limit. He hooks well with both hands and is not a bad boxer.
The talk is of a showdown with the great Naoya Inoue in Riyadh in December. That would be a firecracker of a fight.
Inoue came up from light-fly to super-bantamweight. He is a pulverising puncher, if not quite as devastating at 122 pounds. However, to be knocking guys over at all at super-bantamweight having started at 108 pounds is exceptional. No-one in my 52 years in the sport has done that.
Inoue does not have wars, he just blasts people out. It does not even look like he is trying. It would be fascinating to see him at 126 pounds against someone like Ball.
Ball is ambitious and wants to put on a show. One way of doing that is to get Doheny out of there quicker than Inoue did.
Save for a few outings at featherweight, Doheny is a career super-bantamweight. He lasted seven rounds against Inoue six months ago.
Doheny is durable and tough, but the extra four pounds he faces here will make a huge difference. Four pounds might not seem a lot, but when the bell goes, Ball could weigh as much as 20 pounds over the featherweight limit.
Typically, fighters like Doheny with respectable records pick up world title fights at the end of their careers. Inoue was one example. This is another. It suits him and Ball. Doheny gets to pick up a decent cheque and Ball gets to look good against a credible opponent.
That’s the reality. Ball is keeping busy to land the big night with Inoue, who brings the cache as well as the cash.
The assumption is Inoue has reached his full potential at super bantamweight. I’m not convinced and would not bet against him being competitive at featherweight with that explosive right hand of his.
Either way, I expect Ball to smother Doheny in punches and look to get him out early, which amounts to an invitation to party with Inoue in December.
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