Ronny Rios: “I Thought Ball Was Tired, But He Was Like a Little Wrecking Ball That Didn’t Stop”

American featherweight boxer Ronny Rios (34-5, 17 KOs) exclusively shared his thoughts with Ready to Fight on his bout against British WBA world champion Nick Ball (21-0-1, 12 KOs).

– Obviously, it's a disappointment for you, but you must be proud of your efforts here in Liverpool because the fans absolutely loved it.

– Thank you so much. First of all, I want to say I appreciate everybody—the fans, my team, everyone who’s been around me. Thank you so much, and I hope you guys enjoyed the fight despite the result.

– You trained hard for it. You were ready for a world title challenge at this stage in your career. How tough was Nick Ball? How good was he?

– No, he was really tough. You know, he never stopped coming forward. I thought he got tired at first, but he's like a little wrecking ball. He just kept coming. I can see why they call him "The Wrecking Ball." He kept coming forward despite the bloody nose, and I thought eventually the nose would catch up to him, but he surprised me.

– Yeah, we thought that at ringside too. The nose looked bad, and maybe his breathing would be affected, but you were sticking in there, getting up off the canvas, hurling body shots back at him. I don’t know what you’ve been having for breakfast or in training, but you’re obviously in terrific shape.

– For sure, it was the steroids [laughs]. You know what, man? I just had a healthy day, and I think having a strong team really helped me out. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the result I wanted, but that’s okay. I went out there and tried. I have no regrets. I didn’t fall apart mentally, which, to me, is the most important thing for a fighter. I didn’t get the result I wanted, but that’s how it goes.

– He looked so strong. I was having coffee with Robert Diaz earlier, and he said there would be fireworks in the fight and that your styles would mesh brilliantly—and they did. Everybody we’ve spoken to absolutely loved it.

– Yeah, I kept telling everyone I knew this was going to be a potential Fight of the Year. I don’t think it was, but it was an entertaining fight. I’m just glad I lived up to it. Like I said, it’s not the result I wanted, and I’m going to be disappointed and angry with myself. But it’s okay. We live, we move forward.

Honestly, as a fighter, I don’t just fight for the paychecks. I really don’t. I’ve always wanted to win a world title, and today was my third attempt. But you know what? I can walk away from the sport knowing I tried. I have a lot of friends and family who care about me, so I can walk away knowing I gave everything in this last fight.

As a reminder, on October 5 in Liverpool, UK, Nick Ball defeated Ronny Rios by 10th-round technical knockout.