Ball and Male duel at boxing awards

Stable-mates Jamie Ball and Chris Male will go head-to-head when both are in the running to be named the Midands' Best Young Boxer.

The area council's yearly boxing awards dinner takes place at the Eaton Hotel in Birmingham tonight with Coseley's Ball and Cradley's Male both nominated, along with Thomas Costello.

All three are unbeaten fighters with Birmingham's Costello second round knockout of Ivars Sedlins in June, his first bout in nearly 15 months, up there with the most brutal of 2011.

Male has landed an English featherweight title shot against Joe Murray on November 26 on the back of two impressive stoppages this year, against Fikret Remizev and Dougie Walton.

Like Costello, Ball is a light middleweight but is the reigning Midlands champion with the fight where he claimed the title in February, against Andrew Alan Lowe, nominated for Best Fight.

'The Black Country Bully' is next in action in a six-rounder at Walsall Town Hall next Saturday and is hoping to make it second time lucky tonight.

Birmingham's Frankie Gavin, Britain's only world amateur title winner, pipped him to the Best Newcomer award in 2009 but Ball is hoping to take home a trophy this time.

He said: "I am excited to be up for two awards and I would be delighted to come away with one, to be honest.

"I was disappointed to miss out last time but there's no shame in losing out to Frankie Gavin, with what he has achieved.

"I am so much better now than I was then and, over the past couple of years, I have grew more into my style and adapted to the pro game.

"And the last couple of stoppages have done wonders for my confidence."

Walsall's super bantamweight veteran Delroy Spencer, now 43, is also up for Best Supporting Boxer while WBC world super middleweight champion Carl Froch, from Nottingham, is expected to win Best Boxer.

Tickets for Ball's next fight are available from Walsall Town Hall by calling 0845 111 2900 or by contacting Paul 'PJ' Rowson on 07976 283 157.