Nick Ball Stops Veteran TJ Doheny in Liverpool Main Event

LIVERPOOL, England — WBA featherweight champion Nick Ball improved his record to 22-0-1 with a decisive tenth-round stoppage of veteran TJ Doheny on Saturday night at the M&S Bank Arena. The fight marked Ball’s second defense of the title he first captured in June 2024 against Raymond Ford.

Doheny, who came into the match with a record of 26-6, was fighting after a difficult loss to unbeaten champion Naoya Inoue last September. The crowd was eager to see if the 38-year-old could pull off an upset against the younger champion. However, Ball’s relentless attack ultimately overwhelmed his opponent.

Despite battling with a swollen right eye, Doheny managed to last until the tenth round. Referee Michael Alexander stepped in to halt the contest after Doheny had received considerable punishment and appeared unable to defend himself properly. Ball was docked a point for throwing Doheny to the canvas in the tenth, but the stoppage was deemed necessary given Doheny’s condition.

Earlier on the undercard, Jack Turner (11-0, 10 KOs) continued his winning streak, knocking Ryan Farrag (23-6, 6 KOs) out in the second round. Referee Steve Gray called the fight at 41 seconds into the round after Turner landed a flurry of unanswered shots.

British and Commonwealth bantamweight champion Andrew Cain (14-1, 12 KOs) secured the vacant WBC Silver 118-lb title with a split-decision victory over former world champion Charlie Edwards (20-2, 7 KOs). The bout was contentious, with scores of 115-114, 116-112 for Cain, and 115-113 for Edwards, who faced criticism from fans for his reluctance to engage early in the fight.

In a featured lightweight bout, Jadier Herrera (17-0, 15 KOs) scored a seventh-round TKO against Jose Macias Enriquez (8 KOs). Herrera’s power proved too much for the Mexican, who absorbed an overwhelming amount of punishment in the later rounds before the referee stopped the bout.

Ionut Baluta (17-5-1, 3 KOs) claimed the WBO European super bantamweight title by outpointing Brad Strand (12-2, 4 KOs) in a split decision. Baluta knocked Strand down in the ninth round, contributing to a scoreline of 98-91, 96-94 for Baluta, and 97-93 for Strand.

The main card featured several promising fighters, with Ball aiming for a potential unification bout against WBC featherweight champion Stephen Fulton. Post-fight comments from Ball highlighted his ambitions: “I’m always looking to do a better job, especially in Liverpool.” Doheny, for his part, expressed his desire to showcase his skills despite the challenging matchup, stating, “He’s a good little fighter. He’s not a world champion for nothing.”