Nick Ball vs. Sam Goodman | PPV - 16 August 2025

[Ruthless-RKO]

MOSES ITAUMA-DILLIAN WHYTE, BALL-GOODMAN, CACACE-FORD SET FOR AUG. 16

Fast-rising heavyweight Moses Itauma will look to reach contender status as he’s in the process of finalizing a deal to meet Dillian Whyte on Aug. 16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, sources told The Ring.

The heavyweight clash features The Ring’s 2024 Prospect of the Year in his toughest test yet as he looks to reach contended status with a convincing victory. The bout will headline a Riyadh Season event surrounding the Esports World Cup and represents Itauma’s first major main event.

Nick Ball will defend his WBA featherweight title vs. Australia’s Sam Goodman in the chief-support bout.

Liverpool’s Ball, The Ring’s No. 3 boxer at 126 pounds, will make his third defense. Goodman, The Ring’s No. 4 boxer at 122, will move up one weight class for his first title shot.

In a third featured bout, former champions Anthony Cacace and Raymond Ford meet in a coin-flip junior lightweight fight. Cacace is rated No. 3 by The Ring at 130 pounds while Ford is 10th.

And it’s the big guys who will end the evening in the first event in Riyadh since Canelo Alvarez defeated William Scull in May.

Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs) is just 20 years old as he advances toward a title shot next year. The Slovakia native stopped Mike Balogun in two rounds last month. His litmus test will come against Whyte, 37, in an all-British clash.

Whyte (31-3, 21 KOs) was stopped by Tyson Fury in April 2023 in his lone title shot. He was set to meet Anthony Joshua in a rematch four months later, but a third incident concerning banned substances scrapped the fight. He was cleared to resume his career in March 2024 and scored two stay-busy wins last year.

Ball, at 5-foot-2, is quickly emerging as one of the U.K.’s top attractions. The 28-year-old broke out last year with a pair of thrilling fights. Ball (22-0-1, 13 KOs) was held to a disputed draw with Rey Vargas in March after he dropped the champion twice.

Ball won the title in June with a split-decision over Ford. His two defenses were inside-the-distance wins over Ronny Rios and TJ Downey. Now, Ball will face his second consecutive Australian opponent.

Goodman (20-0, 8 KOs) was set for his first title shot, a meeting with Naoya Inoue in Tokyo in December that was cancelled when he suffered a cut over his eye in sparring. The 26-year-old returned last month with a stay-busy decision win in Australia.

Belfast’s Cacace (24-1, 9 KOs) continued his torrid run last month with a 10th-round stoppage of former champion Leigh Wood. The 36-year-old won the IBF title with an upset TKO victory over Joe Cordina in May 2024. Cacace comfortably outpointed another former champion, Josh Warrington, in September.

Ford (17-1-1, 8 KOs) was in two firefights last year; the other was a title-winning decision over Otabek Kholmatov in March. Down on the cards, Ford stopped Kholmatov with just seven seconds remaining in the fight. The 26-year-old from Camden, New Jersey, has now competed twice at 130 pounds.

[2050640]

What’s crazy is how fast he is and the obvious the power with the speed at heavyweight yeah future champion Fs

[coneye]

Think Ball is going to be way too much for Goodman , he's a real pocket dynamo when he gets going

[Taansend]

Goodman has decent skills doesn't he.

Could be similar to Balls fight against Vargas where he loses the early rounds but finishes strong.

[margaret thatcher]

why another guy brought up from 122 for ball?

goodman is okay but really does nothing particularly well, he shouldn't have much to trouble ball in more than a few rounds.


i want ball vs espinoza, 5'2 vs 6'1

biggest height difference ever in title fight ? outside hw at least it's gotta be close

[D4v3]

Goodmans a decent fighter but style wise I think he’s made for ball

[coneye]

Goodmans a decent fighter but style wise I think he’s made for ball

This coupled with he does'nt have the power to hurt Ball , but can be tagge , and tagged often , He's an Aussie there always handpicked to lose , occasionaly one slips through the net , but not often

[forcefraser]

Goodmans a decent fighter but style wise I think he’s made for ball

This coupled with he does'nt have the power to hurt Ball , but can be tagge , and tagged often , He's an Aussie there always handpicked to lose , occasionaly one slips through the net , but not often

The Aussies are generally tough buggers though, game as a badger.

Goodman won't go down without giving it a fair shake.

[Ruthless-RKO]

The original plan was for Ball to fight Nery.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Moses Itauma to take on Dillian Whyte on August 16 in Riyadh

Heavyweight Moses Itauma will meet Dillian Whyte on August 16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Ring Magazine announced via social media Thursday.

The card, which will also feature Nick Ball’s defense of his featherweight title against Sam Goodman in the co-main event, is a Riyadh Season event that will run in conjunction with the 2025 Esports World Cup.

The main-event bout represents a significant step up for Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs), an emerging presence on the heavyweight scene. Although he has already appeared on several prominent cards in Riyadh, as well as fights at London’s O2 Arena and York Hall, this event marks Itauma’s first as a headliner and will come against the most accomplished opponent the 20-year-old Slovakian-British slugger has faced yet.

Whyte, 31-3 (21 KOs), might be precisely the right man at the right time to test Itauma. At 37, Whyte is indisputably shopworn and in his career twilight, but his recent activity suggests he may be the sort of beatable-but-dangerous gatekeeper called for at this stage in Itauma’s development. Whyte was characterized as washed by some after his 2022 stoppage at the hands of Tyson Fury, but he has won all three of his fights since – a majority decision over Jermaine Franklin Jnr and stoppages of Christian Hammer and Ebenezer Tetteh.

Itauma, who is considered by many to be the future of the division, would take an important step in that direction by putting Whyte – a one-time heavyweight challenger – in the immediate past. He has stopped his past eight opponents, including Mariusz Wach, Demsey McKean and, most recently, Mike Balogun last month.

Also on the card will be Ireland’s Anthony Cacace against Raymond Ford, of Camden, New Jersey, in a junior lightweight bout; Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic against London’s David Adeleye at heavyweight; and Japanese junior lightweight Hayato Tsutaumi facing Quais Ashfaq.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

I read that, (other than Eubank) Ball is the only British world champion currently.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight Week!!

[keithmoonhangover]

This is going to be the fight of the night. I think Goodman will win this one on points.

[Coco]

Ball gets these dates as with him there, it is a guaranteed good fight

[Flump]

I read that, (other than Eubank) Ball is the only British world champion currently.

Eubank RKO?

[Ruthless-RKO]

I read that, (other than Eubank) Ball is the only British world champion currently.

Eubank RKO?

IBO title

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Flump]

I read that, (other than Eubank) Ball is the only British world champion currently.

Eubank RKO?

IBO title

Ahhh, the big one

[Ruthless-RKO]

Experts Picks

Here are the thoughts from fellow fighters, former champions, trainers and matchmakers:

BRUCE CARRINGTON (FEATHERWEIGHT CONTENDER): "Nick Ball TKO Sam Goodman in the late rounds. I know one featherweight, he can't beat."

NATHANIEL COLLINS (FEATHERWEIGHT CONTENDER): "I think Nick Ball will be too strong and too busy for Goodman, who is only just coming up from junior featherweight. Ball's strength will make the difference. I am ready and waiting for when he is ready to face a fully fledged featherweight. Ball by TKO."

WAYNE MCCULLOUGH (FORMER WORLD CHAMPION/TRAINER): "This should be an all-out toe-to-toe slugfest. Both fighters love trading shots at close range, so it'll be interesting to see if one decides to switch it up and create some distance. Goodman is effective with his body work — if he can stay inside and break Ball down early, he’s got a real shot at the win. That said, Ball's wild overhand rights and looping left hooks could catch Goodman midway through the fight and lead to a stoppage. I see Ball's power making the difference here."

MARK TIBBS (TRAINER): "Cracking match of styles, Ball the more stocky, thick set and stronger in my opinion against the taller, longer and a very good technician in Goodman. I think Goodman will box around Ball to win the early rounds. By mid-to-late, I think Ball's strength will come into play and force Goodman into holding his feet and this will be the winning factor for Ball. Ball late stoppage."

MARC RAMSAY (TRAINER): "This is going to be a great fight. To be able to stop a boxer as aggressive as Nick Ball you have to be able to hurt him and despite the advantage that Sam Goodman has on the technical level, he has not shown that he has such power. I expect a tough fight for both boxers, but I think Ball will win. I see a unanimous decision but still close for Nick Ball."

BILLY DIB (FORMER FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPION): "I like Sammy Goodman, he's a very, very technically sound boxer, he's got great lateral movement, he's got great distance, but I don't know how he's going to fair moving up to featherweight and facing a guy like Nick Ball. Nick Ball is not your typical top fighter, he's a wrecking machine, he's non-stop come forward, pressure fighter. I don't know if it's going to suit Sammy or be effective for Nick Ball. Usually, Sammy outboxes so easily they become snoozefest. You saw what he did to TJ Doheny and TJ goes on to have a couple of great wins. That's his strength. I don't know that he can do that with Nick Ball, he's very aggressive and brings a lot of pressure. I'd love to see Sammy win the fight, but I think especially overseas, it's hard, I think I'm going to have to pick Nick Ball. I'm going to say Ball stops him late."

LIAM DAVIES (FEATHERWEIGHT CONTENDER): "I like the fight, it's a good one and I have Ball as the slight favorite. I believe Ball will get to him late but could be coming from behind as I expect Goodman to fight a clever fight early on. Either way, I'd love to have a shot at the winner now I'm at 126 pounds."

MIKE ALTAMURA (MANAGER): "This is a really interesting contest between two contrasting styles. Ball literally is a wrecking ball but has some finesse to his defensive craft and Goodman is known as a mover behind a steady counter game but is very underrated inside. I see a nip and tuck battle with the upset-minded Goodman building a lead and finding a way to hold on."

BRAD GOODMAN (MATCHMAKER): "I think Ball is a little too big and throws too many punches and wins a decision. Goodman is capable of having his moments, but the high work rate of Ball wins it."

RICH MAROTTA (COMMENTATOR): "The Ball-Goodman battle should be a firefight, but every bout with Ball is. You talk about relentless. His approach is crude but an irresistible force. On the other hand, Goodman possesses the skills to make it difficult for Nick. I just don't see how he can hold him off for the whole distance. He is what Angelo Dundee used to call a 1-2-3 fighter: jab, jab, right cross. That will be effective for a while but Ball will eventually track him down, wear him out and stop him in 10."

Final tally: Ball 9-1 Goodman

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

Nick Ball - 126lbs
Sam Goodman - 125.1lbs

[Ruthless-RKO]

Full weights from Riyadh

Heavyweight – 10 rounds
Moses Itauma (235.5lbs) Vs. Dillian Whyte (244.1lbs)

WBA featherweight title – 12 rounds
Nick Ball (126lbs) Vs. Sam Goodman (125.1lbs)

Junior lightweight – 10 rounds
Raymond Ford (130.3lbs) Vs. Abraham Nova (129.1lbs)

Heavyweight – 10 rounds
Filip Hrgovic (241.9lbs) Vs. David Adeleye (240.5lbs)

Junior lightweight – 10 rounds
Hayato Tsutsumi (131.9lbs) Vs. Qais Ashfaq (131.9lbs)

Junior lightweight – six rounds
Mohammed Alakel (132lbs) Vs. Yumnan Santosh Singh (132.6lbs)

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight Night!!!

[Kilburn]

This is going to be the fight of the night. I think Goodman will win this one on points.

Nice one Keith, just what I was looking for.