By the late rounds, many in the building believed Ball was doing enough to protect the belt, especially after a strong ninth round where he caught Figueroa clean while he was backed up against the ropes. The fight was physical, crowded and unforgiving, but Ball seemed to navigate it with control rather than desperation.
Figueroa stayed with him anyway. The former two-division champion kept digging to the body, kept stepping forward, and never let the pace drop into anything comfortable. His best work came when the exchanges dragged on, and Ball had less room to reset, especially in the eighth and again in the championship rounds. Even then, it felt like a fight that might slip away at points rather than break open.
Where control slipped away
Everything changed in the twelfth. Figueroa landed a sudden, crushing shot that dropped Ball hard, then followed with another takedown that ended the night. Ball was draped over the ropes, stunned, and suffered the first loss of his professional career. What had formed as a close decision immediately became a stoppage that will be replayed for years, not because it was wild, but because of how cleanly and decisively it came. The match was stopped at 0:32 of the 12th round by referee Steve Gray.
At the time of the stoppage, the scores were 106-103, 106-103 for Figueroa and 107-102 for Ball.
Figueroa leaves England with the WBA belt and one of the strongest statements of his career. Ball leaves with his reputation intact but his undefeated record gone, undone by a challenger who refused to let the fight be decided safely. The swing from likely decision to definitive knockout was brutal, sudden and impossible to explain away.
Battle details:
Brandon Figueroa defeated Nick Ball by knockout in the 12th round to win the WBA featherweight title. The fight took place on 7 February 2026 at M&S ​​Bank Arena in Liverpool.
