Joshua vs Ngannou LIVE: Start time, undercard, results and ring walks

Vargas seems to have composed himself. He leans onto a left hand, however. Vargas holds Ball, who shrugs him off and to the mat – not for the first time tonight.

OH! Final shot of the round, Vargas is put on his backside by a hook! He complains that it should be ruled a slip, but the referee is counting!

Vargas beats the count and makes it to the bell…

Ball leaps in with a left hook, but he narrowly misses. Nice right hook by Ball!

Popping jab by Ball, too. Vargas replies with a flurry of teasing shots,

Hard right hand by Ball, and Vargas’s legs stiffen!! Ball chases him and stumbles into the ropes!

Another left hook by Ball, and Vargas is on wobbly legs! He somehow manages to throw a series of punches back!

Another left hook troubles Vargas, who has been comfortably ahead in this fight but is now in danger…

Is a finish looming for Ball?

Heavy left hook to the body by Vargas. It’s a scrappy round, though, with a fair bit of holding.

Vargas isn’t getting as much power as he could on his shots, though, because he’s leaning back to maintain his advantage range-wise.

Triple-jab by Vargas. Another, which snaps back Ball’s head.

Ball backs up Vargas and leans on him against the ropes, and he also manages to squeeze in an uppercut.

Hard right hook to the body by Vargas. Then two more, one off each side.

Hard to tell if that’s a smile or grimace from Ball, as Vargas attacks the body again…

Vargas snaps back Ball’s head once more with that rangey jab.

Jab by Ball. Right hook to the body by Vargas. More success from Ball with the jab.

A sterner jab by Vargas, though. Ball gets after the champion with a spearing right cross, before holding the Mexican.

Left hook to the body by Vargas.

Ball essentially throws Vargas to the mat and is warned by the referee.

Ball is struggling to get past Vargas’s jab. A barrage from Vargas simply lands on Ball’s gloves.

Good left hook by Ball after he’s caught by an uppercut at close range. Ball adds a right hand, too.

Vargas slips, but he’s soon back on his feet, winging a right hook to the waist of Ball.

Ball steps in with a decent right overhand. He tries the same again but is punished by a counter jab.

Vargas, not for the first time, doubles up his left hook, targeting the body then head of Ball.

Vargas with a nice uppercut in the clinch. The boxers separate, and a messy exchange ensues, with more grappling.

Ball shakes his head after Vargas lands a right hand to the body. Vargas with another.

Ball keeps grabbing the back of Vargas’s head when the Mexican is at close range. Vargas’s coach, I think, is unhappy with that – someone was shouting at the ref from ringside.

Both men stand orthodox. Vargas, the much taller fighter, with a decent jab early. Ball dives in with a left hook.

Ball with a jab of his own, and another. Right hook to the body by Vargas, who then doubles up a left hook to the body.

The height difference is making these exchanges so fascinating. Again Ball leaps in with a left hook.

He leans back now to evade an uppercut.

Vargas is a two-weight world champion, making his first defence of the WBA featherweight title here.

Another world-title fight next! Rey Vargas defends the WBC featherweight belt against Nick Ball.

Mexican Vargas suffered his first pro loss last time out, as he moved up to super-featherweight. Liverpool’s Ball, meanwhile, is unbeaten.

Vargas will have quiiiiiite the height advantage in this one…