Saturday’s WBA featherweight championship fight between Nick Ball and Brandon Figueroa delivered on its promise of non-stop action. In the end, Figueroa ripped the title away from Ball by scoring a thrilling 12th-round knockout.
Both fighters operated as usual, with the 5-foot-2 Ball bullying his way inside where he could operate with a steady barrage of power punches. That strategy paid off well in the first half of the fight, with Ball finding success with uppercuts and hooks at close range.
As is Figueroa’s usual style, he dug to the body and let his hands go with combinations in close. Figueroa also managed to throw stiff straight shots at times, tagging Ball with jabs and straight right hands.
Figueroa began to come on more and more in the second half of the fight, forcing Ball onto the back foot with more regularity as the scorecards seemed to be tightening up.
The fighters came together to touch gloves at the start of the 12th round, and with the scorecards very much in the air, it was clear neither man would look to coast through the final round.
This led to the fight’s most pivotal moment as Figueroa landed a pinpoint left hook that sent Ball crashing face-first to the canvas. Somehow, Ball managed to beat the count, though he was unsteady on his feet.
Smelling blood, Figueroa followed up the knockdown with a sustained flurry that eventually sent Ball spilling through the ropes and led the referee to call off the fight just 32 seconds into the round.
With the win, Figueroa is a world champion for the second time in his career, having previously held the WBC junior featherweight title, which he lost in a 2021 Fight of the Year with Stephen Fulton.
To date, Fulton is the only fighter to hold a win over Figueroa, with Fulton also winning their 2025 rematch.
The loss was the first of Ball’s career and came in his fourth defense of the title he won with a split decision victory over Ray Ford in June 2024.
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