It has been confirmed by the British Boxing Board of Control that a request made by Nick Ball’s team to wrap their fighter’s hands without anyone present from Brandon Figueroa’s team was approved by both the Board and the WBA on Saturday night. Ball headed into the bout, staged in his home city of Liverpool, England, as the WBA featherweight champion.

Though it is not a rule that a member of the opposing team watches hands being wrapped it is nearly always agreed, at the rules meeting on the eve of the bout, that such a practice will occur ahead of contests of certain importance.