Jamie Ball takes Best Young Boxer

Coseley's Jamie Ball took the Best Young Boxer trophy back to the Black Country after the Midlands Area Council's annual awards dinner in Birmingham.

Ball pipped stable-mate Chris Male, from Cradley, and Birmingham's Thomas Costello to the prize at the Eaton Hotel on Saturday night.

But Walsall's Delroy Spencer was edged out of the Best Supporting Boxer award by Birmingham's Andrew Patterson, while Nottingham's WBC world super middleweight champion Carl Froch won Best Boxer.

It was second time lucky for Ball, who was pipped to the Best Newcomer award by Birmingham's Frankie Gavin in 2009, in the year he became the Midlands champion.

His eighth round stoppage of Andrew Alan Lowe in February for the light middleweight area crown was also nominated for Best Fight.

But that gong went to Northampton's Ashley Lane, for his blood-and-guts effort against Scotsman Ryan McNicol in July.

Ball now returns to action on Saturday night in a six-rounder at Walsall Town Hall, scene of his Midlands title triumph and three-round blowout of Latvian Andrejs Loginovs in June.

'The Black Country Bully' will not box Dmitrijus Kalinovskis as planned with another Lithuanian, Arvydas Trizno, taking his place, having extended former WBC world champion Junior Witter the distance earlier this month.

And Ball insists he's ready to go after a period on the sidelines, due to breaking two metacarpal bones in his left hand during his last fight, as he edges closer to a shot at English champion Brian Rose.

He said: "That would be the biggest fight of my career and I have definitely improved with every fight. Hopefully, by the time the next one comes, I should be more of the complete article.

"As the rounds go on, I can break the fighters down with body shots and just overwhelm them."

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