World champion boxer Nick Ball floored his opponent TJ Doheny with a wild kick in their title fight in Liverpool.
Ball, 28, put his WBA featherweight title on the line in his home city with bizarre scenes unfolding at the end of the opening round.
After an exchange in the corner of the ring, Doheny appeared to be holding Ball in a headlock after the bell had rung.
Ball responded by aiming a kick at the Irish fighter who fell to the mat with gasps coming from the crowd.
Referee Michael Alexander spoke sternly to both fighters who amicably touched gloves at the start of the second round with the fight continuing.
Ball, who won his world title last summer in a wonderful win over Raymond Ford, piled on the pressure during the second-half of the fight, catching Doheny with shuddering shots upstairs and to the body.
38-year-old Doheny was throwing little back but stood his ground valiantly, absorbing huge damage as he survived another relentless attack in the 10th round.
In between rounds, the decision was made by Doheny’s corner to pull their man out and rescue him from further pain.
Ball remains undefeated in 23 fights with his only blemish his hugely contentious draw with Rey Vargas last year, a fight many believed the Liverpudlian won.
‘In there, it’s going to be tricky. It’s a world title fight in my own city. Sometimes I can rush in. The main thing is taking my time and it paid off,’ Ball said post-fight.
‘They [the crowd] want to see all the action. Obviously, I can box and go all action. I felt him getting tired with the pace I was setting.’
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Ball is eager to test himself against pound-for-pound superstar Naoya Inoue, the Japanese fighter who has demolished every opponent in his way to claim world titles in four different weight classes.
Ball’s promoter Frank Warren is eager to make the first happen within the next 12 months.
‘That happens, it’d be towards the end of the year or maybe early next year but that’s the plan,’ Warren told TNT Sports.
