Brandon Figueroa traveled all the way to Liverpool to win the WBA featherweight title by knocking out Nick Ball in the final round of their fight live on DAZN.
Although Figueroa (27-2-1, 20 KOs) and Ball (23-1-1, 13 KOs) fought a close fight, it was Figueroa’s relentless offense that made all the difference, earning him the late stoppage. Before the stoppage, the announcers mentioned that Figueroa was slightly ahead on two of the three judges’ scorecards. Regarding what’s next, Figueroa would like to fight in his hometown of Weslaco, TX, before stepping into a unification bout with one of the champions.
In the opening round, Figueroa was the busier fighter behind his right jab and left hook from the southpaw stance, but Ball landed the more effective punches. Ball threw two huge right uppercuts that stunned Figueroa throughout the round. Figueroa continued to work on Ball’s body with left and right hooks throughout the second round. Ball did land clean straight right hands but found himself holding a lot. Both fighters were battling for position and distance.
In the third round, Ball wasted a lot of energy by pushing Figueroa off during the clinch. Figueroa kept working his left and right uppercuts on the inside, landing some shots, while Ball was effective from mid-range. In the fourth round, Ball came back strongly and chose to keep the fight at a distance instead of fighting inside with Figueroa. This change forced Figueroa to work harder to get inside but also led to him getting hit by Ball’s right hand when he tried.
In the fifth round, Figueroa kept applying pressure and forcing Ball to burn his energy. Ball did connect with some straight right hands and uppercuts on the inside, but Figueroa kept coming forward. Ball had blood coming from his nose throughout the round. Figueroa seemed to take the round off, and Ball recognized it as he continued to pressure while Figueroa just went through the motions. Figueroa lacked snap in his punches and used his offense as a way to defend.
In the seventh, Figueroa came back with pressure but had the offense to follow it. He continued to work the body of Ball with left and right hooks. Ball was finding success on the outside with his straight right hands. It was a close round as both fighters had their moments. The eighth round was more of Figueroa and Ball going back and forth. Both fighters had their moments, but it appeared Ball was getting the better of the exchanges.
After Manny Robles yelled at Figueroa in the corner, questioning whether he wanted to be a champion, Figueroa responded with a big round where he had Ball backing up from punches thrown. Ball had a few moments, but it felt like Figueroa was gaining momentum again in the fight.
In the tenth and eleventh rounds, it was Ball’s speed versus Figueroa’s pressure. In the last round, Figueroa’s relentless pressure busted through Ball’s defenses as he landed a left hook that landed flush on Ball’s chin, sending him crashing face-first to the canvas. Surprisingly, Ball beat the count, but Figueroa jumped all over him and, with a right uppercut, sent Ball through the ropes. The referee instantly waved off the fight, making Figueroa the winner and new WBA champion.
Nick Ball vs Brandon Figueroa Undercard Results
Juan Carlos Martinez Urbina (10-4-1, 4 KOs) could not get up from the stool before the start of the fourth round, which gave Jack Turner (14-0, 13 KOs) the TKO victory. Turner knocked down Urbina at the end of the first round and then kept wearing him down with his relentless offense. Turner is a real contender in the super flyweight division and will be involved in some exciting fights in the future.
Andrew Cain (15-1, 13 KOs) scored a tough ninth-round TKO over Alejandro Jair González (19-7-3, 11 KOs) in the final eliminator for the WBC bantamweight title. The fight was close, and in the eighth round, Gonzalez knocked Cain down twice but was saved by the bell from taking further damage. Then, in the ninth, Cain responded with a left hook to knock Gonzalez down, and when Gonzalez got up, a straight right hand dropped him again. After the second knockdown by Cain, the referee waved off the fight, which seemed prematurely stopped.
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