He idolises Mike Tyson and once kicked an opponent, now Nick Ball is gunning for Aussie Sam Goodman

And this weekend, Liverpool boxer Nick Ball has his sights set on Sydney’s Sam Goodman.

The pair will meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Ball’s WBA featherweight title on the line as Goodman attempts to achieve his lifelong dream of becoming a world champion.

Standing in his way is the 28-year-old Ball, who carries all the aggression of ‘Iron Mike’, despite standing only 157cm tall.

Adding to the intrigue surrounding the fight is the fact that Ball’s main training partner, Brad Strand, was the man who cut Goodman in sparring in December, forcing the Aussie out of his super-bantamweight world title blockbuster with Naoya Inoue.

In a bizarre turn of events, that cut in sparring at an old Masonic Temple-turned private boxing gym in Cronulla eventually led to Goodman moving up a weight class and meeting Ball in Saudi Arabia eight months later.

“He (Strand) went to spar him, cut him, came back home and said, ‘I cut him and he had to pull out of the Inoue fight and blah, blah, blah,” Ball told Code Sports from his base in Riyadh. “So we had spoken about it even before this fight came up between me and him.

“It’s one of them things, innit? It’s boxing, things like this happen. It’s frustrating, it’s a shame, but you’ve just gotta keep going.

“He has, and now he’s got a world title fight with me.

“It’s a big chance and he’s coming to take what’s mine, but I’m not gonna let that happen.”

Goodman is still intent on facing Inoue, and even if he beats Ball this weekend, plans on going back to super-bantamweight to challenge the Japanese superstar.

Ball has his own dreams of fighting Inoue too though, and a world title showdown between them has been spoken about for later this year.

Meanwhile, Ball – who has barely ever been in a dull fight – is just five months removed from a wild encounter with Irish-Aussie veteran TJ Doheny, who Goodman beat by decision in 2023.

Fighting in his hometown of Liverpool, Ball lashed out at Doheny late in the first round of their spiteful world title fight in March, kicking the 38-year-old in the legs after getting caught in a headlock.

The incident happened after days of bad blood in the build-up, with sledges being thrown back and forth.

Ball escaped punishment for the kick, but was later deducted a point in the ninth round after hurling Doheny to the floor on the way to a wild 10th round stoppage win.

“That was stupid by me really, but you learn every day – I won’t do that again,” he told Code Sports. “I was a bit frustrated. He got me in a headlock, so I kneed him in the leg.

“It was stupid, because I could’ve got disqualified there.

“It’s not very smart. Hopefully I don’t do that again.

“He was trying to get under my skin. He was doing it in the build-up as well.”

It was a move that could have come straight from the playbook of the fighter Ball idolises most – Mike Tyson.

“I loved Mike Tyson, I think we have similar styles,“ Ball said. “As a kid I loved watching him, so Mike Tyson was my hero.

“I loved the way he carried himself and his knockout style.”

With 13 knockouts and a string of wild back-and-forth brawls on his record, Ball has even earned a reputation as a Mini Mike.

“That’s what they are saying about me,” he said. “I will keep working hard on myself. My main thing is to stay focused.

“Some can take my power, some can’t. It just depends on the night on how much you are willing to leave in there.”

Goodman goes into the fight as a $5.30 outsider, but has the footwork and ring smarts to stay clear of Ball’s power and make it a real contest.

Not that that means anything to the ‘Wrecking Ball’, who says he’s never seen Goodman fight, and won’t bother to find out either.

“I don’t know much about him,” he said. “I’ll find out when I get in there. That’s all that matters.

“I don’t tend to focus on my opponents.

“I will beat him because I’m an all-round better fighter. I want it more. I’m hungrier than him. I’m more powerful.

“The best version of me beats his best and that’s what I will be.”