Nick Ball endured a night of mixed emotions after keeping himself in contention for a featherweight title shot.
Ball beat Ludumo Lamati by 12th-round technical knockout on the undercard of Luis Alberto Lopez’s win over Michael Conlan at the SSE Arena in Belfast. However, Ball’s post-fight celebrations were brought to a sudden halt after Lamati collapsed in the ring and had to be stretchered out following the end of the bout.
The Everton Red Triangle fighter dominated the clash and eventually broke down the former IBO World super-bantamweight champion with high pace, constant pressure, and sustained power. The 26-year-old Scouser landed a number of vicious combinations in the opening half of the fight before unleashing a number of power shots in rounds eight, nine, and 10.
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Ball, clearly keen to end the contest in the 11th, landed a huge right-hand that forced Lamati to hold him with about 20 seconds to go in the round. And after a number of big shots, Ball caught Lamati with a big right-hand that forced him back to the ropes. Another right-hand was then enough for Lamati’s corner to throw the towel in with only 30 seconds of the fight left to go.
During his post-fight interview, Ball refused to celebrate while his opponent's health status remained uncertain. He said: "I'm happy. If you're gonna learn in any fight, then that's the fight you're gonna learn in.
"But the main thing is Lamati's health and when I know he's alright, then I'll be even more happy. This boxing is not no joke.
"You can lose your life in there, so the main thing is his health. I knew he was a tricky fighter, and I knew he was gonna start the rounds well.
"I had good advice from Paul each round going back to the corner, just telling me let him come on and catch him as he's coming in, doesn't all have to be full blazing, my pace dictated the fight, and I got the job done in the end and got him out of there.
"I'm ranked fourth in the world now with the WBC, the only way I'm going is up, I feel like I will be fighting for world titles soon, definitely."
Meanwhile, Callum Thompson maintained his unbeaten record in the professional ranks with a points win over Marian Marius Istrate.
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