Brandon Figueroa Lands Shock Title Shot at Nick Ball in Liverpool

Brandon ‘The Heartbreaker’ Figueroa gets the call as challenger for WBA featherweight champion Nick Ball on February 7th. Someone up there likes Figueroa (26-2-1, 19 KOs) because he’s getting a gift world title shot after losing earlier this year.

Ball-Figueroa will be broadcast on DAZN from the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England.

Ball’s Hometown Advantage

This will give the 28-year-old ‘Wrecking Ball’ hometown advantage against the Houston, Texas native. He might not need it if Figueroa fights the way he did in his lopsided 12-round unanimous decision loss to Stephen Fulton on February 1, 2025.

Judging by the reaction from fans on social media, this wasn’t the opponent people wanted from Ball for his next defense. They hoped he would fight a live dog, someone who is still at the top of his game. Fans perceive Figueroa as on the downside of his career at 28.

A better option would have been for Ball to defend against Sulaiman Segawa or Mirco Cuello. The guys that fans have been begging Nick to fight are WBO champion Rafael Espinoza and WBC interim champion Bruce Carrington.

Ball’s Goodman Scare

Those would have been risky choices for Ball, who had his hands full in his last fight against Sam Goodman. If that fight is any gauge of what Nick has left in the tank, he would be in trouble against Espinoza and Carrington. Even Figueroa might push him if he can recapture his form from 2021 when he was at the zenith of his career.

Figueroa did win his last fight, defeating the capable Joet Gonzalez by a 12-round unanimous decision on July 19th. But that fight told us nothing, as Joet was a punching bag that former featherweights like Shakur Stevenson and Emanuel Navarrete used to look good in front of the fans.

Ball (23-0-1, 13 KOs) is keeping the momentum going with his career, holding down the WBA belt until Naoya Inoue arrives to face him in a mega-million fight.