“It Was a Shower of Objects”: Robles Recalls Liverpool Ring Escape

Trainer Manny Robles said bottles, cans, and coins were thrown into the ring moments after Brandon Figueroa stopped Nick Ball on February 7 to win the WBA featherweight title. Security moved quickly to escort the team out as debris continued to fall.

Figueroa dropped Ball twice in the 12th round, finishing him to win the WBA featherweight title. The crowd backed Ball throughout the night, but when their champion collapsed, the reaction shifted immediately.

Robles detailed the chaotic scene in a video posted shortly after the fight, describing a victory celebration that was cut short by flying missiles.

“We were celebrating in the ring, jumping around, happy because we had just won the world title by knockout in the last round,” Robles said to Salvador Rodríguez. “Suddenly, they started throwing water bottles, soda cans, coins, everything at us from the crowd. It was a shower of objects coming down on the whole team.”

Security Rushes Team From Ring After Stoppage

The trainer noted that the barrage came from various sections of the crowd as the reality of Ball’s defeat set in.

As the debris continued to fall, security teams scrambled to protect the new champion and his staff. Robles credited security with preventing injuries. The security personnel immediately surrounded Figueroa’s team, shielding them from debris.

The team was ushered out of the ring while officials were still tallying the final result.

“Thank God the security reacted fast and got us out of there right away,” he said. “It could have turned into something worse, maybe even people getting hurt.”

Despite the hostile reception, Figueroa remained a professional. Once the tension cooled, he made a point to visit Ball’s dressing room. In a show of sportsmanship, a different tone from the earlier scene in the arena, Figueroa congratulated the former champion and even returned the belt to him there as a gesture of respect.

While the final minutes in the ring were defined by flying cans and coins, the fight itself will be remembered for Figueroa’s discipline down the stretch and the sudden silence he brought to Liverpool.