Jamie Ball ready for the next step
Coseley's Jamie Ball believes his international six-rounder at Walsall Town Hall is the first step to establishing himself at national level.
Coseley's Jamie Ball believes his international six-rounder at Walsall Town Hall is the first step to establishing himself at national level.
The Midlands light middleweight champion goes up against foreign opposition for only the second time in his career, with Andrejs Loginovs shipped into England for tonight's bout.
Loginovs made his United Kingdom debut in April against English middleweight champion and soon-to-be British title challenger Nick 'Bang Bang' Blackwell.
Blackwell took him out in four rounds but it took 'Bang Bang' a while to work out the 23-year-old, who wins as win as many as he loses.
In 11 fights, Loginovs has won five and drawn one, stopped two and has only been halted by Blackwell and in a Latvian title fight in 2009.
But it's the sort of test Ball is looking for claiming the area crown in February, with an eighth round knockout of Andrew Lowe.
A crunching body shot saw Lowe counted out that night and 'the Black Country Bully' will be looking to repeat the trick on the same ground tonight.
He said: "I am feeling really, really strong at the minute and every fight from now on has got to make a statement, if I want to get in for the bigger and better titles.
"One of the main things I have been working on is body shots, it came off in my last fight and it was a good stoppage to have on my record.
"The longer distance fights do suit me, I am not a knockout artist with that one punch power but I can break people down as the rounds go on – that's my style."
With the area title in the bag, Ball has set his sights on breaking through at national level and has already called out English champion Brian Rose.
But, despite being unbeaten in all of his 12 pro fights, any sort of defeat would severely peg back the 26-year-old, making tonight's bout a potential banana skin.
However, Ball insists he is up for the challenge.
He said: "I will go out in the first round and see what he is like, he's coming to my ground and I don't really know much about him, so I am blind to it.
"But I have got to put a few good performances on and this is a progression a lot of fighters take, they win area titles then move on to internationals and get themselves up the rankings a bit more.
"If you have an easy opponent that you know you can beat before you even get in there, then you probably slack off your training and try and do things in the ring that your body can't do.
"I need to be tested, definitely."
There will be tickets available on the door for tonight's show at Walsall Town Hall.
