LIVERPOOL, England – Brandon Figueroa is unworried about traveling into enemy territory for his WBA featherweight title shot.
The fight this Saturday at M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, UK, has been billed “A Tall Order,” referencing the size difference between the men. Figueroa stands at 5ft 9ins – or 7ins above featherweight titleholder Nick Ball in the opposing corner. Despite the challenger's advantage when it comes to height and reach, he very rarely uses it. Figueroa opts for a more fan-friendly style instead of using his long levers to keep out of harm's way, which is likely to gel with Ball’s aggressive nature.
“If you look at my career, Oscar Escandon's 5ft 1in, Luis Nery's 5ft 4ins. I have experience fighting short fighters, so to me this is nothing new,” Figueroa told BoxingScene. “Obviously height does play a big factor in boxing, but styles play a bigger factor, so it's not necessarily about height – it's more about styles.
“A lot of people say that I have length to box and I like to mix it up, I like to get inside. So I feel like a lot of people underestimate my inside game and a lot of people underestimate my boxing ability, so I feel like this fight you guys are going to see a little bit of everything. But you guys are always going to see my inside game. I love to mix it up, and that's the way I manage to hurt my opponents.”
Ball has defended his WBA strap three times now but has come under criticism in each of the contests. He has shown a lack of respect for what was coming back at him, marching forwards to land his heavy shots – but most of the time taking one to give one.
“He opens up a lot, throws a lot of looping shots and, you know, I just have to have good timing and catch him in the routine,” said Figueroa of his opponent’s recent showings.
Traveling away from home for a title shot is never easy, especially when the bout is located in the belt holder’s backyard. British judges have not shown themselves in good light in years gone by, with many foreign fighters fearing an unfair shake on British soil.
“I have a job to do. You've got to understand that he's a champion. You know, his rules, his backyard,” said Figueroa of fighting in Ball’s home city. “But we're not here to mess around. We're coming to fight and we don't really plan to leave it to the judges. We're coming to work, and my work rate, my volume punching speaks for itself. I just can't wait to put it all together.”
Tom Ivers is a lifelong fight fan and former amateur boxer who has a master’s degree in sports journalism. Tom joined BoxingScene in 2024 and is now a key part of the UK and social media teams.
