LIVERPOOL, England — Brandon Figueroa wasted no time talking unification after delivering a dramatic, final-round knockout of Nick Ball to capture the WBA featherweight title Saturday night.
Figueroa (27-3-1, 20 KOs) produced the defining moment of his career at M&S Bank Arena, flooring Ball (23-1-1, 13 KOs) with a crushing left hook late in Round 12 before a ferocious follow-up sent the hometown favorite through the ropes. The stoppage rendered the scorecards moot, but it capped a performance in which Figueroa had already banked extended stretches of control with his relentless, high-volume style.
The victory marked Figueroa’s first professional bout outside the United States and he looked anything but out of place.