LINCOLN, R.I. – For Kendrick Ball Jr. (23-2-3, 13 KOs), the road to a career-high payday leads back to where his professional career began.
The Worcester, MA light heavyweight returns to Bally’s Lincoln Resort Casino for the first time since 2018 on Saturday, September 26, when he faces Argentina’s Job “The Archangel” Herrera (13-5-1, 6 KOs) in the co-main event of CES Boxing’s Fight Night in America.
For Ball (23-2), the return to Lincoln is more than another fight. It is a homecoming.
“This is where I turned pro,” said Ball. “I’d say this is like my first home, so I’m really excited to be back. I haven’t fought there in years.”
Few fighters are as familiar with Bally’s Event Center as Kendrick Ball. September 26 marks the twelfth time that he fights at the venue where he has experienced massive success, compiling an impressive 10-0-1 record with 7 knockouts.
Now a veteran of 28 professional bouts, the 33-year-old returns to the place where his professional career began for one more run in the hopes of landing a world title opportunity and earning the life-changing payday that has eluded him throughout his career.
“My goal in boxing is to get a big-money fight,” admits Ball Jr. “I’m 23-2-3. I have a good record, and I feel like I’m long overdue. I just need that opportunity presented to me, and I’m not going to turn it down. I’ll take any of those guys.”
Ball’s journey has been anything but conventional. Introduced to boxing at a young age by his father and longtime trainer, Kendrick Ball Sr., Kendrick Jr. trained and sparred at his local Boys & Girls Club but didn’t begin competing until he was in high school. After an estimated 30 amateur bouts, Ball turned professional with CES Boxing in 2016.
Despite the lack of amateur experience, Ball quickly developed into one of New England’s top super middleweights, winning the vacant WBC US Silver Super Middleweight Championship in 2021 against battle-tested Contender Series veteran Brian Vera.
For years, Ball was also part of a resurgence that helped establish Worcester as one of New England’s hottest boxing cities alongside fighters such as former two-division world champion Jose Antonio “El Gallo” Rivera and world title challengers Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez and Jamaine “The Technician” Ortiz.
Ball remained active after the Vera victory, winning 6 fights and fighting to one draw from 2021 to 2023. However, he has fought just once a year since 2024.
“At the time I was signed with CES, so they were always keeping me busy,” reflects Ball.
“When we ended up going our separate ways, my activity died down because locally, they make you cover everything when you get on shows, and it’s expensive. Then my grandmother passed away, and I ended up taking a little over a year off.”
Despite the challenges and hardships, Ball never completely walked away from boxing. The Worcester native returned in December of last year, winning a shutout 6-round decision over Norberto Gonzalez.
However, the economic realities of the sport require Ball to balance his career with a full-time job.
“I merchandise beer and do point-of-sale work,” says Ball. “I’m at work by 7am and I get out around 4:30, 5pm. Then I go straight to the gym.”
His “night shift” consists of grueling training under the guidance of his father as well as Edwin Rodriguez, who serves as Ball’s assistant trainer as he prepares for Herrera, a grizzled Argentine veteran who has shared the ring with the likes of former middleweight world champion Vincenzo Gualtieri.
“He’s definitely going to try to come forward because he’s the smaller guy,” says Ball of Herrera, who has been fighting as a super middleweight. “I’ve got to stay on the outside and use my reach.”
Ball acknowledges that Herrera is a tough fighter who has experience against a former world champion, but he believes that he has the edge in both strength and boxing ability.
“I don’t take anybody lightly, so I’m going in there to get the job done,” says Ball. “I just feel like I’m going to frustrate him, and if I can end it early, that’s what I’m looking to do.”
If all goes according to plan on September 26, Ball isn’t interested in padding his record or chasing belts simply for the sake of collecting hardware. He wants the opportunity to test himself against one of the division’s biggest names – and finally be compensated for the years he has invested in the sport.
‘The Archangel’ Herrera stands in the way of those goals, which is why Ball is fully focused on a highlight reel victory on September 26th.
“My birthday is on September 17, but I can’t celebrate it,” laughs Ball. “I’m going to celebrate it on fight night. I’m looking to give myself a big birthday gift. It’s going to be a good night, and hopefully we get a big opportunity after that.”
For Kendrick Ball Jr., there is no better place to begin his run toward that career-changing opportunity than the building he once called home.
This release first ran in the official CES Boxing program book for Fight Night in America (September 26, 2026, Bally’s Lincoln Casino Resort, Lincoln, RI).
