Rey Vargas vs Nick Ball: Betting Odds & Prediction

Liverpool featherweight Nick Ball (19-0, 11 KOs) gets his first shot at a world title when he takes on WBC champion Rey Vargas (36-1, 22 KOs) on Friday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Victory could see the Liverpudlian unify with recently-crowned WBA champion Raymond Ford on the proposed Matchroom vs Queensberry card later this year. 

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Five straight knockouts and a unanimous decision win over former world champion Isaac Dogboe have earned Ball a shot at the famous WBC belt. “The Wrecking Ball” is known for his violent style and power punching having dropped nearly every opponent he has faced as a professional.

Vargas however is fighting at featherweight for the first time since 2022 after making a failed attempt at winning the WBC Super Featherweight title against O’Shaquie Foster last February. The Mexican was dropped in his last contest at this weight (versus Mark Magsayo in 2022) and quickly moved up after winning the title, indicating a struggle to make the 126lb featherweight limit. 

Undercard

Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou – 10 x 3 (Heavyweight)

Zhilei Zhang vs Joseph Parker – 12 x 3 (Heavyweight)

Israil Madrimov vs Magomed Kurbanov – 12 x 3 (Super-Welterweight)

Mark Chamberlain vs Gavin Gwynne – 12 x 3 (Lightweight)

Jack McGann vs Louis Greene – 10 x 3 (Super-Welterweight)

Justis Huni vs Kevin Lerena – 10 x 3 (Heavyweight)

Andrii Novytskyi vs Juan Torres – 8 x 3 (Heavyweight)

Ziyad Almaayouf vs Christian Lopez Flores – 6 x 3 (Super-Lightweight)

Roman Fury vs Martin Svarc – 4 x 3 (Heavyweight)

Betting Odds

Ball enters as a favourite on the moneyline. 888Sport and BetFred are offering the scouser at 4/6 with a 60% implied probability of him beating the champion.

Vargas comes in as an underdog at 8/5 with William Hill, which carries a 38.5% implied probability of him retaining the title.

The draw stands at 18/1 with Star Sports, carrying a 5.3% implied probability.

Above: Check out OddsNow's preview of the full card in Saudi Arabia on Friday - including Vargas' clash with Ball. 

Prediction

“The Wrecking Ball” is on a roll and has all the momentum behind him coming into this contest after his five consecutive knockouts and a win over Dogboe. Vargas’ inactivity and struggles at the weight should play a huge factor in this affair. He also has the perfect style for Ball as the tall Mexican will struggle to keep Ball at bay on the inside. 

Nick Ball with a brutal knockout in the mid-late rounds looks the most probable outcome of this featherweight clash.

OddsNow's Pick: Ball TKO/KO between rounds 7-12 (5/1 @ PaddyPower)