Nick Ball v Isaac Dogboe: Tale of the Tape

We analyse the credentials and statistics of Nick Ball and Isaac Dogboe as the pair get set to do battle in a WBC featherweight title final eliminator this Saturday night.

Queensberry Promotions have assembled one of the best domestic cards of the year for their ‘Magnificent Seven’ show.

While most bouts on the bill look well matched, the fight of the night sees Nick Ball (4/11) take on Isaac Dogboe (2/1), in a final eliminator for the WBC featherweight belt.

The undefeated Ball has hardly put a foot wrong in his short professional career, but faces a significant step in class as he faces, the former WBO super-bantamweight champion, Dogboe.

In a battle of short, compact, power-punchers who will prevail?

Let’s have a look at the tale of the tape…
 

Nick Ball v Isaac Dogboe
Tale of the Tape

	Nick Ball	Isaac Dogboe
Odds:	4/11	2/1
Age:	26	29
Nickname:	None	'Royal Storm'
Height:	5ft 2ins	5ft 4ins
Reach:	N/A	64ins
Weight:	Featherweight	Featherweight
Trainer:	Paul Stevenson	Barry Hunter
Record:	18-0 (11 KO's)	24-3 (15 KO's)
Last Fight:	Won - (TKO12) v Ludumo Lamati (May 2023)	Lost - (UD) v Robeisy Ramirez (April 2023)

Nick Ball
In Profile

Nick Ball does not have nickname, but “Wrecking” would be apt.

Standing at just 5’2”, the 26-year-old is a short for a featherweight, but what he lacks in height, he makes up for in power.

The Liverpudlian is on a five-fight knockout streak, with two of those stoppages coming in the opening three minutes and a pair of finishes arriving in the final round. Ball is dangerous throughout a fight.

The Everton Red Triangle-trained boxer has caught the eye of observers over the last three years with his impressive performances on BT Sport, and will be hoping for another devastating victory on the new platform of TNT Sports.

While Ball has looked the part in his 18 fights to date, the majority of his wins have come against modest opposition. The best victory of his career came in 2022, when he halted Isaac Lowe on the undercard of Tyson Fury’s world title defence against Dillian Whyte.

It is evident that Ball is levels above the foes he has faced, but it is difficult to determine just how good the Scouser is as he has not been tested.

Dogboe is that test. We will have a better understanding of how far Ball can go in the sport after his bout with ‘Royal Storm’. The Ghanaian is a former world champion at 122lbs, who has established himself as a solid contender in the featherweight division. 

The upside to being relatively untested is that Ball has fewer miles on the clock, having had things largely his own way so far. Conversely, Dogboe has been in arduous fights with the likes of Emanuel Navarrete.

Will Dogboe prove to have too much experience or will Ball’s explosiveness earn him a signature win? 

Only time will tell.

Strengths:	Weaknesses:
Combination punches	Uncomfortable under pressure
Pressure	Moves back in straight lines
Body shots	Can wait too long to throw his punches
Lateral movement	Slow feet

Isaac Dogboe
In Profile

Ghana has a rich history of producing boxing world champions. However, none are like Isaac Dogboe.

The majority of boxers from the African nation who reached the pinnacle of the sport grew up in poverty, honing their fighting skills on the streets of Bukom.

That was not the case for Dogboe. The 29-year-old’s grandfather is the ruler of the Anlo state, who envisaged a very different future for Dogboe when he sent his grandson to London to be educated, when the child was eight.

Dogboe’s father Paul encouraged his son to take up pugilism while in the English capital. Dogboe was a natural and his talents led him to represent Ghana at the London 2012 Olympics, at the age of 17. 

A controversial decision saw the youngster knocked out of the games in his first bout, but he was not deterred.

The following year, ‘Royal Storm’ turned professional without the backing of a major promoter. The early stages of his career saw him travelling the world fighting in: Switzerland, Northern Ireland, New Zealand, Ghana and America.

In 2018, Dogboe received a crack at the WBO super-bantamweight world title, against Jesse Magdaleno. The Ghanaian found himself on the canvas in the opening round, but rose to win the fight, scoring two knockdowns of his own, en route to an 11th round victory. 

One successful defence followed, before Dogboe lost his belt to Emanuel Navarrete. The Mexican was unheralded when the pair first met, but Navarrete’s unorthodox offense was too much for the champion.

A rematch seen Dogboe suffer the only stoppage defeat of his career.

A move to featherweight resulted in Dogboe picking up four good wins over fringe contenders. Those victories earned him a crack at WBO featherweight champion, Robeisy Ramirez. ‘Royal Storm’ had moments of success, but the Cuban was more skilful and won by wide decision.

Dogboe has only lost to world class opposition. 

Backers of the Ghanian underdog will hope that Ball is not on that level.

Strengths:	Weaknesses:
Power in both hands	Launches attacks from too far out
Body shots	Porous defence
Throws punches from unorthodox angles	Becomes unbalanced when attacking
Combination punching	Can be backed up against the ropes

All odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.