Nick "Wrecking" Ball, ranked ninth by the WBA, clinched the WBA featherweight title in a grueling encounter against defending champion Ray "Savage" Ford (15-1-1; 8) at Riyadh's Kingdom Arena. The Saturday night bout witnessed Ball's relentless aggression dominating the action from the onset till the sixth round. However, Ford surged back from the seventh round, breaking Ball's nose but falling short as Ball rallied in the closing rounds. The judges delivered a split decision, with Ball triumphing on two scorecards (116-113) against Ford's 115-113 on the third judge's card.
In a WBC middleweight eliminator, Hamzah Sheeraz (20-0; 16), ranked second, faced off against Austin "Ammo" Williams (16-1; 11), ranked fifteenth. Williams managed to stun Sheeraz in the first round, but Sheeraz quickly regained control from the second round onwards, ultimately dropping Williams in the tenth round and securing an 11th-round technical knockout victory.
Willy Hutchinson (18-1; 13), ranked seventh by WBC and seventh by WBO in the light heavyweight division, secured a comprehensive 12-round unanimous points decision over Craig "The Spider" Richards (18-4-1; 11), ranked fourth by WBA. Hutchinson's dominance reflected in the judges' scores of 116-112, 117-111, and 119-109, asserting his prowess in the ring.
Kevin Hayler Brown (5-0; 3), competing in the junior welterweight category, faced a tough challenge against Idalberto Umara (12-3; 8) in a ten-round split decision bout at the Caribe Royale Hotel in Orlando, Florida. Brown showcased resilience by bouncing back from a fourth-round knockdown to secure victory, retaining the WBA Continental Americas title amidst a split decision from the judges.
ADD A COMMENT :