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Home » Opponent worryingly hospitalized as Nick Ball closes on WBC title

Opponent worryingly hospitalized as Nick Ball closes on WBC title

English contender Nick Ball (18-0, 11 KOs) defended his WBC Silver title with a 12th-round TKO win over South Africa’s Ludumo Lamati (21-1-1, 11 KOs).

Lamati’s six-inch height advantage posed issues for Ball in the first two rounds of the fight.

But by the third and fourth, Ball began closing the distance with ease.

Once inside, the 26-year-old landed vicious combinations, and Lamati’s corner stopped the bout in the latter stages of the final round.

Lamati was stretchered to hospital, delaying the main event as Ball worryingly asked about his condition during the post-fight interview.

Updates are yet to be released on any Lamati improvements.

Junior Lightweights: Anthony Cacace (21-1, 7 KOs) scored a 12-round unanimous decision win against Polish contender Damian Wrzesinski (26-3-2, 7 KOs). Despite Wrzesinski’s aggression, Cacace’s reach and height advantages allowed him to land harder and more consistently from his southpaw stance. Cacace is now 6-0 since suffering his first loss in 2017 against Martin J Ward. Scores: 118-111, 117-111 and 116-112.

Junior Welterweights: Irish standout Pierce O’Leary (12-0, 7 KOs) defended his WBC International belt with a first-round stoppage over Florin Ciorceri (17-4, 7 KOs). O’Leary dropped Ciorceri with a left hook, then finished things up with a savage follow-up attack. Time of stoppage: 1:11.

Main Event: Luis Alberto “El Venado” Lopez (28-2, 16 KOs) defended his IBF featherweight world title with a fifth-round TKO over Michael “Mick” Conlan (18-2, 9 KOs) Saturday evening at The SSE Arena in Conlan’s hometown of Belfast.
Lopez made the first defense of his crown after beating Josh Warrington in enemy territory in Leeds, England. Once again, the 29-year-old native of Mexicali, Mexico, thrived on away soil.

Both men exchanged punches to the body. Lopez backed Conlan toward the ropes, but the 31-year-old Irishman returned the favor

In the third stanza, Conlan relied more on head movement to avoid Lopez’s punches, dipping his head on the inside to avoid wild hooks. That backfired, as Lopez timed an uppercut that hurt Conlan and sent him reeling towards the ropes.
Conlan tried to regroup in the fourth, but by then, the damage had been done.

In the fifth round, as Conlan ducked to avoid a wild hook, he ran into a right uppercut that immediately floored him, forcing his corner to throw in the towel.