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Nick Ball had to wait until ring announcer Thomas Treiber read out the scores before he could finally enjoy a sigh of relief.

England’s lone current male titleholder successfully retained his WBA featherweight belt with a 12-round unanimous decision over Australia’s Sam Goodman. Scores were 115-113, 117-111 and 118-110, with two cards that didn’t necessarily reflect the amount of work required by Ball to keep his title Saturday at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“It wasn’t the best of me in there, but the main thing is that we got the job done,” Liverpool’s Ball said after his third title defense.

Goodman effectively stuck to his pre-fight game plan to keep the fight at a distance. The night marked his first title fight after missing out on a shot to challenge undisputed 122-pound champ Naoya Inoue after separate cuts over his left eye shut down two scheduled dates with Uncrowned’s No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter.

The lack of big-fight experience was not a deterrent, as Goodman used his long jab and right hand to keep the 5-foot-2 Ball at bay for much of the opening round. Ball was not without his moments, as he closed the gap and landed a looping right on Goodman’s chin, though it was preceded by a head-butt.

The same template was applied by the unbeaten Aussie in the second. Ball was forced to reach with his left hook and overhand right, as the 5-6 1/2 Goodman applied slick footwork to avoid incoming punches when his significant height and reach advantages weren’t enough.

Ball enjoyed a brief momentum shift in the third. The effective use of a lead left hook consistently found a home. One such shot jarred loose Goodman's mouthpiece, and he slapped together his gloves in frustration.

Goodman came out swinging on the other side of the break but was overzealous in his approach and cautioned for leading with his head. Still, he was able to land enough right hands and hooks to the body for the unbeaten titlist to subsequently fight with a sense of urgency.

A faster-paced fourth round greatly favored Ball, who landed power shots at the start and near the end of the frame. Ball lived up to his “The Wrecking Ball” ring moniker as he powered his way inside. Goodman’s chin was put to the test as he absorbed left hooks and right hands upstairs.

Momentum remained in Ball’s favor in the fifth. He showed complete disregard for Goodman’s power — or lack thereof — as he controlled both the distance and the tempo. Goodman was forced to play defense when the action was at close range, as Ball launched uppercuts and right hands down the middle and hooks around the challenger’s high guard.

Goodman returned to boxing from the outside in the sixth. He bounced on his feet and fired off a purposeful jab that briefly caused Ball to slow down. The changed fight pace allowed Goodman to plant his feet and dig to the body, then return to boxing from the outside.

The crowd came alive in the final minute of the sixth, when Ball landed a left hook. Goodman took the shot well and responded with a left of his own, though blocked by the champ.

A left hook by Ball caught Goodman’s attention early in the seventh. The combination of the shot and his feet previously in mid-shift caused Goodman to readjust his stance. Lateral movement was applied by the challenger as Ball went on the hunt. Ball landed on the inside but had his head snapped back by a Goodman counter right.

The action remained nip-and-tuck throughout the eighth. Ball landed the seemingly heavier blows, while Goodman applied superior footwork and combination punching. The determined champion carried it over into the ninth as well, where he forced Ball to the ropes with clean shots down the middle.

Goodman sought to out-hustle his adversary in the 10th. Ball came on in the final minute, a reminder that he was still dangerous from beginning to end as he slammed home right hands over the top.

Ball opened the 11th with a power jab that pushed back Goodman. A double jab by Ball set up a right hand to the body. Goodman reverted back to lateral movement to minimize the damage, though it momentarily stunted his offense. Ball shook off a left hook and drove home a right uppercut. Goodman fired rights to the body, but Ball countered with a flurry of shots.

The closeness of the contest was not lost on either corner. Paul Stevenson, Ball’s head trainer, implored his charge to not leave anything to chance in the final three minutes. Joel Keegan was louder and more excitable in his effort to urge Goodman to take the title from the champ.

Ball came out swinging in his best effort to outwork his challenger. Goodman was never without his moments, punching through Ball’s combinations to land straight shots down the middle. Blood dripped from a cut outside Ball’s right eye as he continued to come forward and throw until the end, after which point both boxers were met with applause from the satisfied crowd.

In the end, the judges were more impressed with Ball’s greater activity than Goodman’s accuracy.

“That’s what champions do, they come through in clutch situations,” said Ball, who improved to 22-0-1 (13 KOs) with the win.

CompuBox credited Ball with landing 240-of-747 total punches (32.1 percent), compared to 220-of-582 for Goodman (37.8 percent). Ball outlanded Goodman in power shots, 164-to-136, though Goodman also landed at a higher rate in that category (46.9 percent to 33.8 percent).

It meant the first career defeat for Goodman (20-1, 8 KOs), though undoubtedly with bigger nights ahead after his spirited performance.

Meanwhile, Ball continues to plead his case as the best featherweight in the world. He is certainly the most active fighter in the division. Saturday marked his fifth title fight in a span of just 17 months, dating to his controversial draw with then-WBC featherweight titlist Rey Vargas (36-1-1, 22 KOs) in March 2024 in Riyadh.

Ball returned to the sport’s newest hotbed just three months later and edged Raymond Ford to claim the WBA belt in a battle of unbeaten featherweights. Two successful title defenses followed at home in Liverpool before he made his way back to Riyadh.

He now returns home still a reigning titleholder and the only male boxer in all of the UK to claim that status.

The goal now is to entice the biggest names in and around 126 — Inoue, WBO featherweight titlist Rafael Espinoza (27-0, 23 KOs), WBC titleholder Stephen Fulton (23-1, 8 KOs) or IBF champ Angelo Leo (26-1, 12 KOs) — to look his way.

“I just want to keep fighting, keep doing what I’ve always been doing,” Ball said. “Whatever comes about is up to the [other names in the division]. I’m just going to keep focusing on myself.”

Ball-Goodman was the co-feature to the Moses Itauma-Dillian Whyte heavyweight bout atop a DAZN pay-per-view event.

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