Nick Ball vs. Brandon Figueroa - Keys to Victory: Breaking down tactics of each fighter

Nick Ball would like nothing more than a dominating defense of his WBA featherweight world championship to start his 2026 in-ring campaign. Brandon Figueroa would like nothing more than to snatch the title in resounding fashion.

Ball will put his WBA featherweight world title on the line against former featherweight champ Brandon Figueroa at MS&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England, and live on DAZN, on Saturday night.

In 2025, Ball (23-0-1, 13 KOs) remained unbeaten by stopping TJ Doheny in March and outpointing Sam Goodman via unanimous decision in August. Figueroa (26-2-1, 19 KOs) enters the bouts having defeated Joet Gonzalez via unanimous decision in July to rebound from his points loss to Stephen Fulton Jr. last February.

Will the defending champ be every bit of the ‘Wrecking Ball’ in dismantling Figueroa? Or will Figueroa overwhelm Ball with punching volume? DAZN News examines who has the edge entering their title matchup Saturday night.

The Ring

Nick Ball’s Keys to Victory

Pressure, get inside of Figueroa’s jab

Billed as the ‘Tall Order,’ the Nick Ball vs. Brandon Figueroa fight has the champion surrendering seven inches in height and another 7.5 inches in reach to Figueroa. That said, Ball will need to get inside of Figueroa’s jab to unload real damage.

Feints and changing levels will help Ball establish some pocket pressure where he could land power shots if successful.

Bang away at the body

At 5-foot-2, Ball has shown a penchant of changing levels, getting even lower to the ground and stabbing to the body with a jab.

Doing this against Figueroa could help Ball to follow the landed blow with barreling movement inside where he could unleash those aforementioned power shots. These body shots could also aid toward sapping some of Figueroa’s energy and even lowering the challenger's punch count.

Stalk forward with combinations

When Ball stalks forward and works his way into cramped quarters, the WBA featherweight world champion is able to piece together powerful punch combinations that are well-placed and land with emphasis.

Manufacturing these opportunities against a rangy Figueroa will be Ball’s most important key.

Brandon Figueroa’s Keys to Victory

Stand up to Ball’s pressure

Nick Ball is going to pressure forward to get inside of Brandon Figueroa’s reach. When Ball does this, the onus will be on Figueroa to meet this pressure with pressure of his own.

Figueroa should look to stand his ground and respond to Ball’s pressure with a flurry that pushes the champ back. Being successful at this, especially early, might be the best indicator of how this fight could go in the challenger’s favor.

Catch an incoming Ball with reach

Needing to make ground and be every bit of the ‘Wrecking Ball,” the defending champion is going to be launching himself forward.

When he does, Figueroa needs to catch the incoming champ and cut off that forward progress with a long jab or well-timed counter. These jabs and counterpunches could frustrate Ball, stifle the champ’s offense and serve as the eye candy needed for judges to score rounds for Figueroa. The timing and clean landing of these shots are crucial.

Crank up the volume

Figueroa is capable of driving his punch output into high numbers. It is how he once reigned as the WBC featherweight world champion.

Against Ball, who is going to try to dictate the flow of this fight with pressure, Figueroa’s best bet to become champion is cranking his own punch volume way up. He does this and Figueroa could exit Liverpool with the WBA featherweight strap in tow.

Sign up to DAZN Ultimate Tier to get PPV's included in your subscription 

Subscribe to DAZN's new Ultimate Tier to get a minimum of 12 PPV events included per year, including Barrois vs Garcia, on top of another 185 fight nights. Plus Serie A football, watch on multiple devices, and many more extra benefits.

Sign up for £22.99 in the UK / $44.99 in the U.S. More details here .