I would gave said no until Inoue struggled in his last fight, he has hit the canvas a few times now and will be moving up to Balls division. Featherweight might be one division to far against a little relentless pitbull in Ball. It would be an exciting fight for sure and Ball has a chance
Ball's style should work well in to Inoue's favor who is a great counterpuncher but definitely not counting out his chances. Will have to wait and see how Ball and Inoue look in their upcoming fights to get a good idea.
If Nick Ball was able to edge out Raymond Ford surely that means he has the skills to compete with Naoya Inoue. Even though he's a come forward aggressive fighter that should favor Inoue's style he's still capable of pushing him back and giving him similar problems if not more so than Cardenas. Whether or not Ball can take Inoue's power is another story but that also depends on how well Inoue carries his power to 126.
Nick Ball must have the worst name for a fighter ever Anyway he’s good but Inoue is just better, be a fun fight though
Kohei Kono is probably the most similar guy Inoue has fought compared to Ball and he had a few rough moments against him. He was still a bit inexperienced by that point though and was the first man to crack Kono's otherwise very sturdy chin.
That´s actually a really good comparison. Kono and Ball do fight a bit alike. A similar swarming approach, and a snappy jab.
Ball has the size but not necessarily the skills. Inoue is reaching his weight ceiling now; he showed that getting dropped by Cardenas. Ball is a legitimate world-level fighter at featherweight; he has a horrible style for a much smaller Inoue to adapt to. I can see him getting wrestled, dragged, and bullied in a similar way that Hatton beat Tszyu. P4P Inoue is streets ahead of Ball, but I think 126 is a step too far for him. I think Ball will demolish Goodman, and Inoue will impress against MJ, who I think is also overrated. I can see the Nakatani fight happening in 2026, so it depends on where Ball is by then. He doesn't shy away from any challenge, so I think he loses to Espinoza, and if he does, then the Inoue fight loses its appeal, so there are still a few factors that need to fit together for the fight to happen.
Nick ball is very explosive for a short guy, his ability to explode and land punches even when he’s out of range is what’s gotten him to where he’s at, his downfall is his lack of head movement and his defensive lapses where he will just stand there and let his opponent tee off on him.