Nick Ball vs. Brandon Figueroa: Who has the edge heading into their fight?

Nick Ball will look to record his fourth defense of his WBA featherweight world championship — a title Brandon Figueroa believes he has the tools to seize.

The undefeated Ball will put his title on the line against Figueroa at MS&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England, and live on DAZN, on Saturday night.

Ball (23-0-1, 13 KOs) is coming off a stoppage of TJ Doheny in March and unanimous decision over Sam Goodman in August for his 2025 body of work. Meanwhile, Figueroa (26-2-1, 19 KOs) bounced back from losing his WBC featherweight world title in a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Stephen Fulton Jr. last February by edging past Joet Gonzalez on points in July.

Will ‘Wrecking Ball’ bulldoze his way toward another triumphant title defense? Or will Figueroa find a way to taste world championship glory once again? With the stakes high, DAZN News analyzes who has the edge heading into the fight.

The Ring

Boxing Styles

Standing 5-foot-2, Nick Ball stalks methodically off the front foot and uses every bit of his boxing wizardry to work his way inside where he tends to overwhelm opponents with peppering punches. Brandon Figueroa is likely to meet that pressure with pressure of his own via volume as the former featherweight world champion invites phone booth action as well.

The intriguing aspect about this fight is the reigning champion Ball will be giving up seven inches in height and 7.5 inches in reach to the challenger. Figueroa has the opportunity of catching an incoming Ball and cutting him off by standing his ground with boxing.

It is a tough task, but Figueroa has the reach and attributes to do it in this clash of styles. Still, Ball has shown a capability of manufacturing his way inside against taller opponents, forcing them to fight his style of rough, rugged boxing. He gets the slight nod here.

Edge: Ball

Power

Figueroa actually touts the higher knockout ratio at just over 73 percent to Ball’s 56.5 percent. Plus, the defending WBA featherweight world champion is called the ‘Wrecking Ball’ for a reason. The moniker matches his in-ring style where Ball is capable of driving up enough pressure to demolish his way through opponents.

Ball’s last win by stoppage came against veteran TJ Doheny in March and Figueroa has never been stopped, though the champ will certainly use his power to try to change that.

All being said, the way Figueroa is able to drive up his punch total often leads to drowning opponents out with stinging power. Though the ‘Wrecking Ball’ will attempt to bulldoze, Figueroa has deceiving power through volume that can have him stand his ground.

Edge: Figueroa

Mental Warfare

After edging Ray Ford in a nip-and-tuck split decision to win the WBA title world championship, Ball has defended his crown three times — two by dominating stoppage, with the other being a hard-fought points win over Sam Goodman.

Supreme confidence comes with victories like that as Ball is a true fighting champion. Meanwhile, Figueroa is trying to get his confidence fully restored. He got plenty of it back outpointing Joet Gonzalez in July to rebound from a points loss to Stephen Fulton earlier in the year. Still, Ball has the edge in mental warfare thanks to his growing confidence that comes with each in-ring experience.

Edge: Ball

Who has the edge in Ball vs. Figueroa?

DAZN News has Ball with the 2-1 edge entering this bout, though Figueroa can offer a stinging retort by not only handing the champion his first loss, but snatching his title too. 

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 .