Boxer hits out at 'joke' judging and awaits WBC advice after controversial draw on Anthony Joshua v Francis Ngannou undercard

12/03/2024 16:40

Nick Ball has hit out at the judging system after he was held to a controversial draw with Rey Vargas.

The featherweight, who has been dubbed as a ‘Mini Mike Tyson’, came up against his Mexican rival on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s brutal KO win over Francis Ngannou.

Ball was slow to start in the fight but grew into proceedings as they went on, scoring knockdowns in the ninth and eleventh round as he threatened to stop the contest.

But Vargas survived the distance and was told he had controversially done enough to earn a draw, with one of the judges scoring the contest at 114-112 in his favour.

The remaining officials scored the bout at 113-113, and 116-112 in Ball’s favour, which saw the contest scored as a draw – a decision that drew audible boos from the crowd in Saudi Arabia.

Fans online also reacted furiously to the decision, too, with Ball’s promoter Frank Warren going on an angry rant in his post-fight interview.

When appearing on talkSPORT’s White and Jordan show, Ball revealed he has already tried to move on despite being critical of the system.

“You can’t sit around sulking about it, it is frustrating but it is one of them things,” said the fighter.

“I didn’t know how to feel, it was a mad situation I was just gutted. It is a mess, I don’t think it has ever been judged fairly.

“As a boxer you can’t think too much into that, it wasn’t even my best performance but I still thought I’d done enough.

“It is a bit of a joke the judging.”

When asked if he had received official clarification from the WBC, he added: “He is not happy, the main man [Mauricio Sulaiman].

“He put a post out and said he is not happy with it and is going to look into it.

“I believe that I am going to keep my WBC No.1 spot and my mandatory position.”

Ball impressed on the night, overcoming a significant height difference to send Vargas to the canvas on two occasions.

Although a rematch may well be in the pipeline, Ball could instead be thrust into a showdown with Raymond Ford this summer.

The fight could form part of Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn‘s 5v5 tournament in the Middle East, despite it being a short turnaround for Ball.