Nick Ball will have to wait for the opportunity to add the Commonwealth title to his belt collection. The featherweight, from Liverpool, was set to meet Nathaniel Collins in a challenge for the latter’s rainbow bauble next month, until the Scot withdrew injured.
Ball, who had a career-best performance earlier this year, was last in action on the undercard of Tyson Fury’s WBC heavyweight world title defence against Dillian Whyte at London’s Wembley Stadium back in April, when he stopped Isaac Lowe inside six rounds to claim the vacant WBC Silver title in the 126-pound division.
The fight between Ball, 25, and Collins, which was announced as taking place on July 16, would have happened at the Copper Box Arena in London, as part of a card promoted by Frank Warren which is set to feature Lennox Clarke against Mark Heffron in a defence of the British and Commonwealth belts at super-middleweight. The vacant IBF Inter-Continental title is also meant to be at stake in the nominal main event.
It remains unclear at this stage whether Ball –– who would have had the chance to fight for the vacant British crown as part of the fight –– will remain on the card, but Seconds Out was told by Dennis Hobson, who is part of Collins’ team, that they are awaiting a new date for the contest after the Scotsman, also 25, withdrew due to an unspecified injury.
Hamzah Sheeraz continues his quest up at middleweight on the card against Argentina’s Francisco Emmanuel Torres in a defence of his WBC International Silver title, while the same belt is at stake in a vacant capacity in the featherweight ranks when exceptional young star Dennis McCann meets former two-time British super-bantamweight title challenger James Beech Jr.
Pierce O’Leary, who recently inked a promotional pact with Frank Warren and Queensberry, returns, hoping to make it to double figures for wins as a pro, with Ryan Garner fighting over eight rounds too.
The card is completed by outings for Karol Itauma, Khalid Ali, Sean Noakes, Umar Khan, Masood Abdulah and Sonny Liston Ali.
