- Nick Ball fought Rey Vargas to a split draw on the Joshua vs Ngannou undercard
- Liverpudlian controlled the second half of the fight and dropped Vergas twice
- Fans on social media insisted Ball should have been given the decision victory
Fans have claimed Nick Ball was robbed he fought Rey Vargas to a split draw on the Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou undercard.
Giving up nearly half a foot in height and at least as much in reach Ball faced an uphill battle from the opening bell in Riyadh.
Ball struggled to implement his game in the early going as Vargas confidently managed the range, punishing the Liverpudlian when he attempted to close the distance.
The frustration was evident when Ball did manage to get on the inside in the third, as he was warned by the referee for excessive clinching but was docked a point.
Vargas continued fighting off the back foot into the middle rounds, with ball maintaining forward momentum but failing to land anything of real consequence.
Nick Ball fought Rey Vargas to a draw on the Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou undercard
Ball struggled to find his way inside of Vargas’ jab as he was frustrated in the early rounds
But the Liverpudlian gained momentum as the fight progressed and twice put Vargas to the canvas
In the seventh, Ball landed his most substantial punch of the fight wobbling Vargas with an overhand right and again rocking him later on in the round as both men exchanged punches.
Ball continued building in momentum in the following round, again rocking Vargas at the end of the eighth and controversially forcing a standing count after hitting the Mexican on the break after throwing him in the clinch.
The momentum swung in Ball’s favour the longer the fight progressed as his flurries began to land with more regularity.
His persistence would pay off in the eleventh as a big right hand put Vargas down with Ball looking to finish strong and capitalise on his opponent’s fatigue.
However, despite controlling much of the second half of the contest and having two 10-8 rounds in his favour Ball the judges were split with the final scores reading 114-112 Vargas, 116-110 Ball, and 113-113 even.
The decision proved highly contentious on social media, with former Premier League striker Darren Bent among those expressing their confusion with the verdict.
‘Nick Ball won that fight’ He wrote on X.
Simon Jordan agreed with Bent, calling the decision ‘despicable.’
‘#JoshuaNgannou… rocking atmosphere in Saudi .. Despicable decision on the nick ball fight.’
One fan wrote: ‘Nick Ball utterly robbed. Terrible decision.’
Another agreed: ‘Nick ball stitched up good and proper – disgrace’
A further user added: ‘Hows Nick Ball not won that? Utter disgrace’
Darren Bent and Simon Jordan were among those decrying the decision on social media
Frank Warren was among those infuriated with the decision and could be seen remonstrating inside the ring after the verdict was read out.
In an interview post-fight, the promoter added that he hopes the pair will rematch for the featherweight title later this year.
‘He won the fight and we’re not cry babies.’ Warren said.
‘He won the fight. Listen to the crowd. Did he win? Or did he not? Who won the fight? He won the fight. Frankly, I don’t know what’s going on. I just don’t understand how was that split? He sat him down twice. He lost a few of the early rounds.’