The challenger was frustrated as Vargas found success with a left hook to the body and won the early rounds. Ball received a warning from the referee in his third match for body slamming his opponent into the canvas.
Vargas varied his attack in the fourth, combining his head and body. Running out of ideas, Ball temporarily switched to a southpaw stance in search of something different.
The height difference didn't lend itself to the most frenetic of matches, but the ball began to turn the tide by taking ugly shapes, blocking Vargas' attacks and forcing them to land inside.
Shouts of “Wrecking Ball” from a small group of fans inspired the fighter, who pushed Vargas into the ropes in the sixth inning for a telegraphed right hand.
In a great seventh round, he rocked Vargas with a powerful overhand right. Vargas backpedaled and the ball shot forward, knowing it could hurt Vargas.
Then came the controversial and nasty knockdown. As the two tangled on the inside, Ball used his muscles to push Vargas in and land him with a left hook.
As the round drew to a close, Vargas reprimanded the referee. He recovered well and landed a hard left hook in the 10th inning.
As the match entered the championship round, Ball chased a tired-looking Vargas around the ring. The ball landed with a thud to his right, knocking him down for a second time, this time with a legitimate knockdown.
The general feeling at ringside was that Ball had done enough, going down twice to become Britain's first new world champion since Savannah Marshall and Natasha Jonas' double world title in July 2023. That's what it was.
Promoter Warren said: “Nick Ball should be world champion tonight and definitely will be for the foreseeable future.''
