Rey Vargas Intends to Punish Nick Ball in his Return Fight
On March 8, Rey Vargas (36-1, 22 KOs) will defend the WBC featherweight title against mandatory challenger Nick Ball (19-0, 11 KOs) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Vargas wants to make a statement and win in dominating fashion.
The last time fans saw Vargas in the ring was in February 2023, when he was on the losing end against O’Shaquie Foster for the vacant WBC junior lightweight strap. After taking the rest of that year off, Vargas returns to 126, hoping to continue his title reign.
Ball earned this world title shot by defeating former junior featherweight champion Isaac Dogboe in November 2023. A physically strong and aggressive fighter, the mandatory challenger from Great Britain feels he will bully and overwhelm the champion with his youth and physicality.
BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE?
Vargas begs to differ. Just days away from the match with Ball, the defending champion spoke exclusively with the British news source, Boxing News. Excited about the fight, the Mexican world champion said that the Brit will have a rude awakening.
(Translated from Spanish) “I’ve watched a couple of videos. I know everything I need to know. I can beat him . . . I’m used to aggressive fighters. Bad for him because the more aggressive he is, the more punishment he’s going to receive.”
The featherweight champion is a boxer. He’s not a fighter with a reputation for dishing out a beating. Instead, he often prefers to keep his opponents outside and make things rather boring.
Ball fights like an energizer bunny in boxing gloves and has promised to be in his face. However, he does leave himself open. As a result, Vargas could have plenty of opportunities to land with clean punches and pile up the points.
Can the now 33-year-old live up to his promise to punish Ball for his aggression and give him a beating? If he does, it would be a welcome change for the defending champion.
