Brandon Figueroa stops Nick Ball in round twelve and becomes the new WBA featherweight world champion.
Brandon Figueroa is the new WBA featherweight world champion. The American provided a shock moment in Liverpool when he spectacularly knocked out local hero Nick Ball in the twelfth and final round. Figueroa (27-2-1, 20 knockouts) thus made history and became a two-time world champion, in his first fight outside the USA of all places. From the very first round, he put Ball under pressure with constant pressure, high speed and precise combinations.
The decisive moment came early in the twelfth round: Figueroa hit Ball (23-1-1, 13 knockouts) with an overhand left to the chin that sent the Liverpudlian down hard. Ball went down face first but made it back to his feet before the ten-count. But Figueroa smelled blood, rushed forward and fired several punch combinations that forced Ball to the floor again – this time through the ropes. Referee Steve Gray stopped the fight without a further count. The official stoppage time: 32 seconds into round twelve.
The fight was open until the premature end. Two judges had Figueroa 106-103 ahead, while a third saw Ball 107-102 in front. The title fight was therefore hanging by a thread before Figueroa decided everything with one punch.
After the stoppage, there were unpleasant scenes in the ring. While Ball was still lying on the ground and Figueroa was celebrating the away win with his team, Ball’s stablemate Andrew Cain stormed into the ring and tried to kick a member of Figueroa’s team. An object was also thrown towards the winning team from the crowd.
In the DAZN interview, Figueroa was nevertheless respectful: “Huge respect to Nick Ball. He’s a great Liverpool champion, one of the best England have ever had. Nothing but credit to him.” The new champion continued: “I felt I controlled the fight. Nick Ball is a tough champion, he wasn’t going to give up. But I caught him with the short left hook – and then I finished it off.”