Nick Ball joked he might “jog” to the M&S Bank Arena for his world title defence on Saturday in Liverpool, considering how close he lives to venue.

The WBA featherweight champion will have a night of firsts, defending his belt for the first time and headlining at the M&S Bank Arena.

Ball, 27, is a big favourite against American Ronny Rios and has not fought in a ring in his home city since 2020.

Ball lives and trains in Liverpool but has contested his last two fights in Saudi Arabia.

Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Ball promised an “all-action” performance to pay back the support he has received from his home city.

“We get behind our own if we see someone doing well and putting the hard work in, it pays off,” Ball said.

It was a largely friendly news conference, although Rios’ manager insisted that while Ball “deserved” his homecoming, he had “unfortunately picked the wrong opponent” for it.

Rios, 34, has four losses in 38 fights, making him the more experienced fighter, but his previous two world title shots have been at super-bantamweight.

Ball attended the media event with his WBA belt for the first time. He won the title in June, but traditionally the new holder gives the belt back to the defeated champion and waits for his own to be delivered.

Nicknamed ‘the Wrecking Ball’, Ball has five stoppages in his last eight outings and was surprised to hear Rios intended to fight fire with fire in the ring.

“If he thinks he’s going to get in there and push me back, he’s got another thing coming,” Ball said.

“It might sound good in front of the cameras, but once you get in the ring it’s a different story.”

Unification fights await Ball if he can beat Rios, with Angelo Leo holding the IBF title and Rafael Espinoza the WBO champion.

Ball has already faced another world champion, WBC title holder Rey Vargas, but was held to a controversial draw by the Mexican in March.

The Kirkby fighter is undefeated, with that one draw plus 20 wins including 11 stoppages on his record.