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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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Boxing

Richard Torrez Jr. preparing for “two good knees”

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Image: Richard Torrez Jr. Preparing For “Two Great Knees” Against Frank Sanchez

Torrez said that he does not expect a weakened opponent when they meet at the Glory in Giza gala, headlined by Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven.

“Yeah, I think it’s definitely in the back of my mind,” Torrez Jr. said. Mr. Verzace in Ring Magazine when asked about Sanchez’s knee problems. “But I’m going out there preparing for the best, Frank. I’m going out there preparing for Frank, who has two great knees. That’s the Frank I hope to expect because I want to fight the best. I don’t want to fight someone who’s 60% fit.”

“I think his team, doing their due diligence, wouldn’t let him get in the ring with me when he’s at 60% power, and that’s why they postponed the last fight. So I’m 100% ready for Frank Sanchez.”

Torrez also provided a technical breakdown of Sanchez’s style and said that pressure could be the key to breaking him over time.

“I think Frank, being of Cuban descent, has that Cuban style. He can kick his ass when he needs to,” Torrez Jr. said. about Sanchez. “I think he has a very robust backhand. I think he knows how to put you to sleep in the moment where he can hit the shot he wants.”

“But I think he lacks pace. If you’re able to take control of it and put pressure on him and impose your will on him, I think that’s where things start to basically break down in the game plan. I think we saw that with Kabayel.”

The 2024 Olympic silver medalist also revealed that his professional career almost never happened at all. Torrez admitted he believes he would have retired from boxing had he won gold instead of silver in Paris.

“If I won gold, I would retire. I wouldn’t box anymore. That would be it. I would feel like I achieved what I needed to achieve,” Torrez Jr. said.

“I feel that winning silver has given me the drive and determination to prove something not only to myself but to everyone who has sacrificed for me.”

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Bob Arum wonders if Lomachenko needs money to pay back

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Image: Vasiliy Lomachenko Ends Retirement, Targets Big Fights

“Well, again, I don’t know what his financial situation is. He earned a lot of money from us. But, you know, he lives in Ukraine and there are a lot of problems there, maybe he needs money, or maybe he just wants to get away from home,” Arum said in an interview with Fighthype.

Arum’s comments drew attention because promoters rarely speculate publicly on whether a returning fighter might be financially motivated. Lomachenko hasn’t fought since stopping George Kambosos Jr. in May 2024. in the fight for the IBF lightweight title, and then left boxing.

The former three-division world champion is now 38 years venerable and has shown signs of decline in the later stages of his lightweight career. Losses to Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney, as well as a complex stretch at 135 pounds, have raised questions about how much Lomachenko has left in his long absence from the ring.

Arum admitted he doesn’t know what version of Lomachenko will return if the comeback continues.

“I don’t know what, if anything, Lomachenko has lost after his two-year retirement. So it would be wrong to hypothesize how he would fare against all these younger guys. We’ll just have to see,” Arum said.

The interviewer asked Arum if Lomachenko would still be able to compete with younger names like Shakur Stevenson, Abdullah Mason and Raymond Muratalla, but Arum avoided making predictions.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the return, Arum continued to praise Lomachenko as one of the best fighters promoted by Top Rank during his career with the company.

“Loma represents the best of boxing. So I wish him all the best because he has been a great fighter for us and he truly embodies the best of boxing,” Arum said.

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Boxing

The most talented Dubois still attends school

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Solomon Dubois trains in the gym as the youngest member of the Dubois boxing family begins attracting attention in amateur boxing

The Dubois family has already produced two world champions. Now another name is starting to attract attention in British boxing.

Daniel Dubois and sister Caroline turned the family name into one of the most celebrated names in British boxing, but now a different Dubois is quietly emerging from the amateur ranks.

According to many, including Stanley’s father, Solomon Dubois may finally become the best of them all.

Another Dubois appears

The 13-year-old turned heads at national tournaments as he developed under the Dubois umbrella. Stanley, the man who helped shape Daniel and Caroline into world champions, is overseeing his second son’s progress.

Daniel himself has publicly endorsed Solomon to one day become a major force in the sport as the youngest member of the fighting family continues his rise.

This naturally creates expectations.

Over the years, a lot has been written and said about the Dubois family, but not all of it was positive. Family feuds, public disagreements, pressure and media attention have followed the name for much of Daniel and Caroline’s career.

Fresh chapter

However, in Solomon’s case, there is already a feeling that boxing could be the beginning of a fresh chapter.

As Daniel and Caroline gradually enter the final stages of their careers, Solomon is just beginning his own journey.

The pressure is already on, but he is following in the footsteps that will be able to impart significant knowledge.

When a family has already produced two world champions, expectations arise long before title fights or professional contracts emerge.

That’s what makes Solomon’s situation so fascinating, because the noise around him isn’t the result of random social media hype designed to produce the next substantial thing.

This belief clearly exists within the family itself.

Stanley has long suggested that Solomon may naturally possess an agility and raw ability that simply cannot be taught.

Dubois syndrome

The pressure comes early

At the same time, there is an obvious danger in placing too much expectation on someone so newborn.

The history of boxing is full of prospects who faced pressure before they were physically and mentally ready to handle it.

For now, Solomon remains a student learning his craft with one of the most recognizable names in British boxing.

A professional move and a likely collaboration with Frank Warren will almost certainly come later if he continues to make progress.

However, at the moment it’s simply a matter of keeping his feet on the ground as the attention around him continues to grow.

Because if the Dubois family’s beliefs prove correct, British boxing may finally discover that the most talented Dubois was the youngest all along.


About the Author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

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