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What Nick Ball absorbed in the match against Figueroa and what will be the further costs

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Image: What Nick Ball Absorbed Against Figueroa and What It Might Cost Him

It became clear early on how much Brandon Figueroa controlled the game in midfield. Despite being 5-foot-10, Figueroa was the more effective close-quarters player against the 5-foot-2 Ball, leaning on him, striking with volume and forcing turnovers that Ball couldn’t leisurely down or reset. The height difference gave Ball no room to work. This allowed Figueroa to crowd him and apply pressure in areas where Ball usually does best.

Cumulative penalty

As the rounds passed, the pattern continued to take its toll. Figueroa’s high-performance style became constant attrition, much like the approach he used against Joet Gonzalez when he landed over 1,000 punches. He didn’t need that level of volume here. He threw and landed enough to continually wear Ball down in subsequent rounds, making the finish feel like the end point of the process rather than an emergency.

The severity of the punishment became inevitable in the final sequence. After the first knockdown, Ball fell face first to the canvas and remained there for several moments, still enough to cause immediate concern. When the action resumed, there was no way to regain control

Figueroa stepped in and attacked the badly injured Ball, who offered no counterattacks and little defense, before taking him down again, partially through the ropes. What stood out was not the violence of the sequence, but the lack of resistance. The instincts that always led Ball to exchange words were no longer perceptible.

The hitting statistics confirm why this problem exists. Ball landed 249 of 567 punches for a 43.9% success rate, showing he remained precise and committed. Figueroa landed 214 of 757 punches, good for just 28.3% accuracy, but the volume continued unabated. He was willing to absorb shots to keep shooting, trusting the pressure and repetition to wear down Ball over time. Over the course of twelve rounds, this approach took its toll.

Ball lost the WBA featherweight title in the 12th round at the M&S Bank Arena, after which Figueroa’s trainer Manny Robles criticized the officiating, saying the referee “counted to 100” and called it a terrible job. The frustration sounded less like a tactical complaint and more like disbelief at how many penalties had been handed out before the fight was stopped.

This reaction highlights a larger problem. Fighters can recover from knockouts. It’s harder to recover from such long-lasting, close-range punishment that robs you of reaction, resistance, and agency before the end comes. Ball’s success has always been about pressure, persistence and tenacity.

After a night like that, the question isn’t whether he can win another fight, but whether those traits can still function in the same way, or whether the cost of taking so much damage has permanently changed the fighter he can be.

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Zuffa Boxing Dublin card confirmed for August 8 at 3Arena

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Zuffa Boxing has announced that its first event in Ireland, branded Zuffa Boxing 10, will take place on Saturday, August 8 at the 3Arena in Dublin. Organizers of the promotion, headed by Dana White, said details about the main event, joint performance and ticket sales will be announced soon.

According to the promotion, the card will be broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland and streamed on Paramount+ in the US and Canada. Its broadcasts in the UK and Ireland are covered by a long-term contract with Sky Sports announced in March.

The expected headliner of the Cork middleweight gala will be Callum Walsh (16-0, 11 KO). according to 42 and Irish boxing, although Zuffa has not confirmed this card. Walsh won Zuffa Boxing’s debut event on January 23 in Las Vegas with a unanimous decision over Carlos Ocampo and has not fought since. The Cobh native, trained by Freddie Roach, fought mainly in the United States, but once boxed in Dublin, headlining the 3Arena gala after his victory over Przemysław Runowski.

The 42 reports that Monaghan’s Aaron McKenna (20-0, 10 KO) is set to be the main support for an IBF middleweight world title fight against Italian Etinosa Oliha (22-0, 10 KO). Both pairs are expected to fight for the vacant belt that became available after Janibek Alimkhanuly was stripped of his belt following a failed anti-doping test. McKenna is third in the IBF rankings and Oliha is second.

Dublin will be Zuffa Boxing’s second card outside the United States. The first event, Zuffa Boxing 07, will take place this Saturday at the Bournemouth International Center in England, where former world cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith will face Ryan Rozicki in a 10-round cruiserweight main event.

The August 8 date means the Dublin gala will take place a week after Queensberry Promotions’ show at the same venue, headlined by Pierce O’Leary against Mark Chamberlain, with Tyson Fury scheduled to appear.

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Frank Warren says Tyson Fury will do what Daniel Dubois did to Joshua

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Image: Frank Warren Says Tyson Fury Will Do What Daniel Dubois Did To Joshua

Frank Warren believes Tyson Fury will not only beat Anthony Joshua when the long-awaited heavyweight clash finally happens, but also stop him.

The All-British clash is scheduled for November, after a delay from its earlier summer date. Warren confirmed that Fury signed a contract for the fight in January, and both men are expected to undergo interim fights before the fight becomes official.


When asked how he sees the fight developing, Warren made it clear he expected Fury to win and pointed to Joshua’s knockout loss to Daniel Dubois as a major factor.

“I think Tyson will win,” Warren told Secondsout, predicting a Tyson Fury knockout over Joshua.

“I think Tyson will stop him.

“Did you see him fight Daniel Dubois? That gives me that confidence. I was sure Daniel Dubois would do it and he did it, and I’m sure Tyson will do the same in brief order, no matter what catches him.”

Earlier in the interview, Warren also suggested that Joshua was still feeling the effects of the Dubois defeat.

“He has the specter and cloud of what happened when he fought Daniel Dubois hanging over him. So, you know, he’s vulnerable if he gets caught now,” Warren said.

Joshua is scheduled to return on July 25 against Kristian Pregna, while Fury is scheduled to fight his own warm-up fight before November. Warren said the location for the proposed blockbuster has yet to be determined, though he confirmed the fight remains signed and will likely take place later this year, provided both heavyweights win their fights.

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Categories Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury

Last update: 2026/06/04 at 23:14

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World champion will be stripped of his title if he refuses to fight David Benavidez next: ‘That’s it’

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World champion to be stripped of title if he refuses to face David Benavidez next: “That’s it”

David Benavidez won the WBA and WBO cruiserweight world titles with his last fight, and the “Mexican Monster” may add to his collection in the future after one of the world champions was ordered to fight him under the threat of being stripped of his belt.

Last month I moved up from light heavyweight and dethroned Gilberto Ramirez in sensational styleBenavidez now holds the WBA (regular) and WBC featherlight heavyweight world titles, as well as his recently won unified cruiserweight crown.

As a result, the 29-year-old must decide whether he should return to the featherlight heavyweight scene or stay in the cruiserweight division, where he put in arguably the best performance of his career last time out after tuning out his fight with Jai Opetaia.

However, Benavidez was also named the WBC cruiserweight mandatory challenger and was ordered to fight WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian, another who has been linked to a fight with Opetaia.

If Mikaelian refuses to defend the title against Benavidez, the WBC president announced in an interview for the WBC magazine that he would strip the Armenian of the belt. Boxing Scene.

“The WBC order is Mikaelian against Benavidez. That’s all. If he fights again, he will waive his obligations to the WBC.”

“[There is no deadline] at this time. I will be talking to different managers. This is the highest priority. I look forward to making sure that happens.”

If Mikaeilian decides to continue the fight with Opetaia and thus lose the world title, it can be expected that Polish-born interim champion Michał Cieślak will benefit. Either he will be elevated to full world champion and ordered to make his first defense against Benavidez, or he will be included in a vacant belt fight against the three-division world champion.

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