Boxing world champion told to ‘sign up to UFC’ after kicking rival between rounds in outburst

Boxing champion Nick Ball avoided so much as a point deduction despite kicking his rival after the bell during their WBA world title fight tonight.

Liverpool native and WBA featherweight champion Ball ended up stopping former world champion TJ Doheny in their headliner at the M&S Bank Arena. He did end up having a point taken as their bitter feud boiled over in the ring, but still managed to land the finish.

However, the highlight of the night really came after the first as an incident in the corner after the bell led Ball to kick his opponent in the leg. Boxing fans even joked that he should move to MMA as a result of the incident.

Nick Ball kicks TJ Doheny on route to world title win

Nick Ball and TJ Doheny spent the build-up for their big fight at each other’s throats, and it led to an incredibly heated first few rounds. The Irishman started well but faded and was ultimately stopped in the tenth.

One key moment happened at the end of the first when Doheny collared Ball in something of a headlock. As he was arguing with referee Michael Alexander he refused to let it go, which enraged Ball who responded by kicking Doheny in the back of the leg.

Despite the fact that it was not only way after the bell and was a kick, Ball avoided even a point deduction for the incident. However, a few rounds later he threw his rival down multiple times, which did see him have a point taken away.

It ultimately didn’t matter as he dominated proceedings, and eventually forced a stoppage from the Doheny corner after the tenth.

Fans call for Nick Ball to join UFC after controversial kick

Following the incident, there were many calls for Ball to be disqualified due to the absurdity of the call. Just weeks earlier Paddy Donovan was disqualified for a punch after the bell against Lewis Crocker, albeit in different circumstances, which appeared to offer precedent for fans.

“Ref see’s him, yells at him and does nothing,” one fan noted on X. “How is that not a DQ or point deduction at the very least?”

Some viewers joked that the kick was impressive enough to even earn Ball a spot in the UFC, with one writing: “Sign that boy up to the UFC, he’s wasting his talents in boxing. That was a solid low kick, Doheny had a dead leg lol.”