There was plenty of praise heaped upon Brandon Figueroa following his career-resurrecting knockout win over Nick Ball.
Chief among those to offer congratulations was high-powered boxing financier Turki Alalshikh, who also presented the three-time major titlist Figueroa with a major opportunity.
The gesture was made shortly after Figueroa put Ball face-first onto the canvas to register a 12th-round knockout and claim the WBA 126lbs title. Texas’ Figueroa did so on the road atop Saturday’s DAZN show from M&S Bank Arena in Ball’s hometown of Liverpool, England.
“A huge congratulations to Brandon Figueroa for showing his character by taking the risk and traveling to the champion's backyard to capture the WBA featherweight championship with a great knockout in the final round,” Alalshikh shared on social media. “We want to see you defend your title for the first time on September 12 in Riyadh, when we stage Mexico vs. The World – featuring the return of Mexican superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in the main event.”
Mexico’s Alvarez, 63-3-2 (39 KOs), previously declared that he will return to the ring in September, exactly 52 weeks after he conceded the undisputed 168lbs championship to Terence “Bud” Crawford last September 13 in Las Vegas. The former four-division champion still has two fights left on his lucrative deal with Riyadh Season.
A decision to accept the invitation would provide Figueroa, 27-2-1 (20 KOs) – a Mexican American (as it relates to the “Mexico vs. the World” theme) – with his second straight fight outside the US after he had never previously fought abroad. A 27-year-old from Weslaco, Texas, Figueroa has spent literally half his career in his home state, with most of the rest of his fights coming in Las Vegas and California.
However, Queensberry Promotions managed to seize control of the mandatory WBA featherweight title fight, providing Ball, 23-1-1 (13 KOs), with his third home game in his past four fights. It didn’t help to extend a title reign that dated back to his June 2024 win over Raymond Ford in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Even without the knockout, Figueroa was on his way to an upset win on the road. He led 107-102 and 106-103 on two cards, while he inexplicably trailed 107-102 on the card of normally credible judge Jean-Robert Laine. It mattered little as he forced Ball to the canvas in the dramatic 12th-round sequence, shortly after which produced the end of the fight.
It was Figueroa’s third title victory spanning two weight divisions, after he previously held the WBA 122lbs belt and the WBC 126lbs title. He has spent most of his career under the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) banner, an entity which has begun to regularly work with Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season – including the upcoming February 21 Mario Barrios-Ryan Garcia DAZN pay-per-view event from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Figueroa has yet to specifically address Alalshikh’s offer, nor is it even known if he was made aware of the generous gesture. For now, his plan is to bring a major title fight to his backyard. He hasn’t fought anywhere in Texas since 2022, and not specifically in his home region since 2019.
“I want to bring a fight back to my hometown, give my fans back home a fight there,” Figueroa told BoxNation after the win. “They deserve it. It’s a small little town, I want to bring exciting fights there.
“After that, let’s unify.”
The division’s other featherweight titleholders are: Bruce Carrington, who just won the WBC belt on an Alalshikh-funded Ring Magazine event on January 31 in New York City; IBF beltholder Angelo Leo; and long-reigning WBO titlist Rafael Espinoza.
“I want all of them. Bruce Carrington, Espinoza … who’s the other one? Angelo Leo,” noted Figueroa. “All of them. Let’s get it.”
