A year after losing his world featherweight title, Brandon Figueroa won another title, defeating Nick Ball via a dramatic 12th-round stoppage on Saturday.
The Mexican-American known as “The Heartbreaker” silenced Ball’s home crowd at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England, stopping him in the final round to win the WBA featherweight world title.
Ball lost his belt in his fourth defense after a hard-fought fight with two-time world champion Figueroa that got to the boil early in the final round.
Figueroa (27-2-1, 20 KO) sent Ball (23-1-1, 13 KO) to the canvas with a sweeping left hook, then continued the pressure to seal the TKO victory 32 seconds into Round 12, with Ball hanging on the ropes after a flurry of punches.
“I felt like I was dominating. I caught him with a brief left hook and then I went out and finished the game,” Figueroa, who was ahead on two of the judges’ scorecards at the time of the stoppage, told DAZN.
“I was away from my family for three months. I came here 10 days before the fight and our game plan worked, and I’m very grateful to my coach Manny Robles for that.
“I want to fight in front of my own fans and I want to unite.”
The victory prepares 29-year-old Figueroa for a world title unification fight against one of the other world champions: Rafael Espinoza (WBO), Bruce Carrington (WBC) and Angelo Leo (IBF).
Since winning the WBA belt via split decision over Raymond Ford in June 2024, Ball has been one of the best at 126 pounds, but he spent most of Saturday’s fight on his back with Figueroa.
Just what Figueroa, of Weslaco, Texas, needed. A year ago, he lost the WBC featherweight title to Stephen Fulton on points in a rematch, after also losing to his compatriot in the fight for the unification of the junior featherweight world title in 2021.
At 5-foot-2, Ball was 7 inches shorter than his opponent, but Ball had no trouble throwing punches early.
Ball (28) made an immediate impression when he pierced Figueroa’s wing with a right uppercut in the first round. As Figueroa stepped forward later in the first, Ball landed more uppercuts and his quick combinations were on target again in Round 2.
Figueroa had more success in the third quarter, especially to the body, and outscored Ball in the fourth with substantial shots.
Ball hit some nice shots overdue in the fifth round, including a looping right hand, and he was also the busier fighter in round 6. As Figueroa’s efficiency dropped, Ball took advantage, landing screwball shots and a reliable seventh-inning strike.
Despite his reach and height advantage, Figueroa fought at close range at times, a strategy Ball welcomed in some of the later rounds. Figueroa increased his punch count in round 9, but was caught on the counter several times in round 10.
Perhaps feeling he needed a good finish after a close fight, Ball fired back in the final round but was taken down by Figueroa’s huge left hook.
Ball was left face down on the canvas, but only got back up after Figueroa sent him through the ropes with a flurry of punches. Referee Steve Gray then stopped the fight with the ball hanging over the ropes.