Nick Ball hoped to land a blockbuster fight for his next outing.

He will gladly settle for a hometown headlining act.

The unbeaten WBA featherweight titlist will make his first defense versus former title challenger Ronny Rios. The bout will top an Oct. 5 TNT Sports card from M&S Bank Arena in his hometown of Liverpool, England.

“I literally cannot wait to fight in Liverpool again, this time as a world champion,” said Ball. “It has been over four years and it will be really special for me.”

Ball (20-0-1, 11 knockouts) won the belt in a thrilling twelve-round split decision over Raymond Ford (15-1-1, 8 KOs, No. 8 at 126). Their June 1 Fight of the Year contender saw Ball, The Ring’s No. 4 rated featherweight, prevail in his second title bid.

His first attempt ended in a twelve-round draw versus WBC titleholder Rey Vargas (36-1-1, 22 KOs), No. 3 at 126. Both fights took place on Riyadh Season shows in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“It has been a dream year for me with two world title fights so far,” noted Ball. “To cap it off by defending my belt at home is the icing on the cake and I am so excited.”

Added Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren: “I am thrilled to be returning to Liverpool with a world title fight and, unquestionably, the best featherweight in the world in Nick Ball. His journey since beating Isaac Lowe at Wembley Stadium in 2022 has been a magical ride. Nobody deserves a big homecoming more than Nick.”

Rios (34-4, 17 KOs) hopes to win his first major belt on his third try.

The 34-year-old from Santa Ana came up short in an Aug. 2017 WBC 122-pound title bid versus Vargas. His challenge of then-unbeaten WBA/IBF junior featherweight titlist Murodjon Akhmadaliev (12-1, 9 KOs) was far more disastrous. Rios was stopped in the 12th and final round of their June 2022 clash in San Antonio, Texas.

One win has followed for the fringe contender from Santa Ana, California. Rios, the older brother of Ring No. 8-rated welterweight Alexis Rocha (25-2, 16 KOs) stopped Nicolas Polanco (21-6-1, 12 KOs) in the fourth round on an April 24 ProBox show. The bout took place at featherweight, where Rios hopes to find new luck on the title stage.

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