Tyson Fury has given a big thumbs up to featherweight champion Nick Ball. The former heavyweight champ thinks Ball packs a serious punch for his size.
Fury, who retired from boxing earlier this year, shared his thoughts while working as a pundit for TNT Sports. He couldn't help but praise the 28-year-old Ball, who's been making waves in the featherweight division.
"I think he is fantastic, little Nick Ball. God made him 5ft 3in [5ft 2in] for a reason, because if he were 6ft 5in we would all be unsafe right now. He is a proper English pitbull terrier. I love watching him, honestly. Even though he beat my mate Isaac Lowe, I am a massive fan of little Nick Ball."
Ball has certainly been living up to the hype. On March 15, he put on a show in his hometown of Liverpool, defending his WBA crown for the second time. The undefeated champ dominated Ireland's TJ Doheny, stopping him in the tenth round. This win kept Ball's perfect professional record intact.
Looking ahead, there's talk of a potential showdown between Ball and Naoya Inoue. Inoue, the undisputed super bantamweight champion, has made a name for himself as one of boxing's hardest hitters. He's already won world titles in four weight classes and is considered a pound-for-pound superstar.
Fury's praise for Ball comes as the heavyweight landscape continues to shift. Fury himself stepped away from the ring after losing his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk for the unified WBC, WBA, and WBO heavyweight titles. His retirement also put an end to hopes of a long-awaited all-British showdown with Anthony Joshua, leaving many boxing fans disappointed.
But with rising stars like Nick Ball making waves in the lighter weight classes, there's still plenty of excitement in the boxing world. And if Fury's words are anything to go by, we'll be seeing a lot more of the "English pitbull terrier" in the future.
