“Savage vs. Wrecking Ball”: Oscar Nominated Actress Joins Shawn Porter and Pros In Celebration as Nick Ball Beats Raymond Ford In Close Fight

Raymond Ford and Nick Ball fought their hearts out in a fight that just wrapped up moments ago on the Matchroom-Queensberry 5 vs. 5 mega event. With the WBA featherweight title on the line and the pressure to give their promotion a victorious lead, it was the smaller British fighter who rose to the occasion, left the arena with the gold strap, and started his reign at the top.

Ford, 25, came into the fight on the heels of a splendid clutch win against Otabek Kholmatov this March and was making his first title defense. Meanwhile, Ball, 27, last fought the WBC champion Rey Vargas to a draw, which some believed he should have won. But he had the perfect opportunity to finally clinch a world title. And the Liverpool native made the most of the opportunity as he won the fight by tilting the judges’ scorecard (115-113 x2) to edge out his American opponent in a bloody battle.

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Ball, who got the second bite at the gold, put the early pressure and was popping with jabs. He set up combinations after throwing a jab, whereas Ford showcased good footwork while waiting a distance with his long jabs. Ball didn’t let go of the pressure in the second round, and he charged with a flurry of shots, with the burst of punches coming frequently. Ford only appeared to bid his time as he faced the brunt of quick punches. In the third round, Ball also opened up a cut under Ford’s eyes and slowly pulled the fight away from the champion.

Ball even caught him lacking as he landed a big left in the following round, and his relentless pressure had the WBA champion on the ropes, chopping him down like a tree. Ford failed to control the pace and gave up too much ground to allow the challenger to dictate the fight’s pace. While Ford made precise shots, Ball’s phenomenal stamina kept pushing him to the ropes. By the end of the sixth round, Ford had become stagnant and stopped throwing body shots, the only thing working for him in earlier fights.

However, Ford turned around the things in seventh with a left and an uppercut and then built his confidence as he drew blood from Nick Ball’s broken nose. The uppercuts sprouted a blood fountain in the eighth round. However, Ball made his way back while wiping the blood pouring out of his nose with his gloves. The story remained the same for the latter rounds, where Ford had made adjustments by then and was going blow for blow. In the final round, it was war, as the two slugged it out to the finishing bell. It turned out to be a closely contested affair. Eventually, it was Nick Ball, whose pressure and activity ensured he finally laid his hands on the title while getting the second win for Frank Warren’s Queensberry.

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As Ford failed to make adjustments early in the fight and as Ball swamped him with a flurry of punches, Shawn Porter wondered whether Ford had picked the fight too soon in his young career. Notably, Ford had fought Kholmatov almost two months ago and could have been a victim of tiredness coming into the fight.

Similarly, Porter again posed the question of whether Ford packed enough power behind his hands. While Ford landed more precise shots and connected more, his shots failed to rock Ball until the seventh round, which made Porter eat his own words.

Porter, a former 2x world champion, pointed towards the crucial moment of round 7 when Ford connected a big left and changed the fight’s momentum. He drew parallels with Sebastian Fundora and Tim Tszyu‘s fight, as the latter suffered a cut in the fight, failed to recover in time, and dropped the fight.

Rosie Perez, an Oscar-nominated actress and an ardent boxing fan, lauded both fighters for putting on a spectacular show, especially in the final round. The two exchanged punches without any heed of defense and kept the fans on the edge of their seats till the final bell rang.

Ellie Scotney also heaped praise on both boxers as they showed incredible heart until the final bell.

Alycia Baumgardner advised Ray to employ his jab to gain an edge, which he had abandoned after the early rounds. In addition, she advised the American boxer to keep his opponent on the outside.

Ebanie Bridges also enjoyed the action up-close and especially mentioned the 11th round, where the fight was equally posed and both fighters didn’t hold back.

Lastly, Rosie Perez again expressed her excitement about the back-and-forth fight. She also referenced the nicknames of both fighters. She wrote, “This fight! Nonstop!! Savage vs Wrecking Ball!”

What do you make of this fight between Raymond Ford and Nick Ball at the Queensberry vs. Matchroom 5 vs. 5 event? Let us know in the comments below.