LIVERPOOL, England – Brandon Figueroa feared being given an unfair shake heading into the 12th and decisive final round of his WBA featherweight title fight against Nick Ball.

The bout was a thrilling one, with both men locking horns from the off at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena. The styles gelled perfectly, and although the card was billed “A Tall Order” by Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions due to Figueroa’s huge height advantage, the challenger very rarely used it. The pair sat in the pocket, constantly hammering at each other, but Ball just couldn’t keep up with Figueroa’s workrate. The Texan was up on many ringside reporters’ scorecards heading into the final session, but Figueroa had no idea how the officials were seeing it, particularly in enemy territory.

In the end Figueroa rendered redundant the judges’ tallies, who actually had him ahead on two cards, as he left Ball face down on the canvas with a vicious left hook and ended matters 32 seconds into the final round. Ball, out of the ring and out of the contest, had lost his WBA featherweight strap.

“We followed the gameplan. I boxed him, catching Nick [Ball] coming in, a gritty tough fighter,” Figueroa, 27-2-1 (20 KOs), told BoxingScene. “He wasn't going anywhere, we knew he wasn't going to go anywhere. I managed to catch him there in the end with a good sneaky little hook, broke him down to the body and, you know, my volume; I felt it got to him in the end and I got him out of there.”

Figueroa had told BoxingScene earlier in the week that he did not plan to leave the contest up to the judges. Fairly or not, the UK’s officials have frequently come under fire with many foreign fighters coming to British shores and being on the wrong end of a controversial decision. Figueroa’s team also alleged that when they arrived to the arena at 7:45pm, Ball already had his hands wrapped without a member of their team inspecting. They requested that they should be removed but, according to Figueroa, the British Boxing Board of Control and the WBA allowed Ball to keep them on.

“My coach said, ‘Finish it kid, they're not going to give you nothing here,’” Figueroa said of the advice heading into Round 12. “So I just had to give it my all. My preparation was really hard and I knew I had more in the tank, and yeah, I just showcased that. [My coach Manny Robles] said, ‘You’ve got more kid. I've seen you spar 14 rounds, 12 rounds, throwing 1,000 punches,’ and he's like, ‘You’ve got more to give kid,’ and I said, ‘Okay coach, I'm gonna follow your advice and we finished really strong.’”

The left-handed finish was a stunning one. Ball had come in to land one of his own hooks but Figueroa timed him perfectly, smashing a left hook across Ball’s chin, teasing him with dream land in the process. It was surprising when referee Steve Gray allowed Ball to continue after such a heavy knockdown but it didn’t take long for Figueroa to blast the then-champion through the ropes with another left hand.

“I think it's my second favorite knockout. I feel like it hasn't hit me yet,” the 29-year-old said. “Right now I'm controlling my emotions really, really, well but I'm really, really calm and collected right now, but maybe when I get back home or my hotel I'll probably release everything.”

There were ugly scenes in the ring following the contest. Understandably, Figueroa’s team jumped through the ropes and erupted in celebration. Nick Ball’s corner did not take kindly to their antics, with bantamweight Andrew Cain even kicking one of Figueroa’s team. The home crowd also responded by throwing beers into the ring [even soaking this writer's laptop].

“My team was just excited; we're celebrating. We meant no disrespect to anyone,” Figueroa said of the post-fight chaos. “Obviously we let our emotions get the best of us and Nick Ball’s team took it the wrong way. We meant no disrespect to anyone, even the Liverpool fans, we're just happy we came all the way over here in the Lions' den and we came out victorious. So we're just proud and happy with each other. The sacrifices we put in the gym so we're just emotional.”

There are huge fights for Figueroa back in the US with his fellow featherweight beltholders all residing in the States. So what is next for the self proclaimed “Heartbreaker”?

“I want to fight in my hometown, give my hometown fans a fight and then unify,” he said. “I want all of them. I came out here in the Lions' den so that showcased I'm fearless. I'm not scared of anyone. So whoever's next, I want them. Let's get it. I'm not scared of anyone. I got my team ready. We're ready. Go back to the drawing board and let's get on the next one.”