Although the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics will get most of the attention this weekend, there are two title fights worth a look from England and Mexico: Ball vs Figueroa, and Medina vs Curiel from Mexico. Both take place on DAZN.
Medina vs Curiel starts the action on Friday night at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. On Saturday, Ball vs Figueroa prelims begin at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT, with the main card at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.
A Tall Order for Nick Ball?
It seems there may not be a nickname ring announcer Thomas Trieber put more into than Nick “The Wrecking” Ball, and who can blame him? The current WBA World Featherweight champion Ball of Liverpool (23-0-1, 13 KOs) makes his fourth title defense against Brandon Figueroa of Welasco, Texas (26-2-1, 19 KOs) at his hometown Echo Arena in Liverpool.
Both Ball and Figueroa made weight with ease at 125.1 pounds. This is where any similarity ends.
Ball stands just 5-foot-2 and looks up at every single opponent. Figueroa will be among the tallest opposite ball at 5-foot-8, but not the tallest. Rey Vargas of Mexico is 5-foot-10, and he came the closest to beating Ball, fighting to a draw.
In every fight, Ball’s height disadvantage is discussed. In every fight, he proves his skeptics wrong about his ceiling. This fight card is called “A Tall Order.” Ball patiently brushed questions off about it being a factor against Figueroa.
“That’s where I’m most comfortable, and I’ve been doing this my whole life. It’s not new to me. You know, the taller they are, the harder they fall. Bigger target, bigger body, all bigger things to hit,” said Ball.
Ball acknowledged that finding sparring partners can be challenging. “You can get ones who’ve got similarities, but you can’t get the real thing.
“But it doesn’t matter. I don’t really worry about what he throws, what he does, what he’s done. I focus on myself, and I know what I can do and what I’ve got to do and what I’m going to do, and that’s all.”
Figueroa: “I Can Do It All”
Figueroa, the former WBC World Super Bantamweight champion, had to fight his way back to a title fight opportunity after losses to Stephen Fulton. He insists he won’t squander it and will channel his upset victory over Luis Nery to win his first title for a repeat upset against Ball.
“I feel like I can do it all. Everyone underestimated me for that fight. I was the big underdog. Luis Nery was knocking on everyone’s door until he faced me. You guys saw what happened that night. I just stayed quiet, stayed my game plan, and came out of there with a belt,” recalled Figueroa.
Figueroa, who is working with trainer Manny Robles for the second time, says his team knows how hard he worked during training camp.
“They know how bad I wanted it in camp, the hours I put in a gym, the early morning mountain runs, everything that we put in.
“I just can’t wait here. That’s the only words that keep ringing in my head. That’s the only words I keep hearing at the gym. It’s just a matter of time,” said Figueroa.
Figueroa is a volume puncher who threw more than one thousand punches in his last fight. Ball brushed it off. “He’s gonna try and do what he wants, but whether I’m gonna let him is a different story,” said Ball.
“Of course, I always bring the fight,” said Figueroa, who says he is in excellent condition. “He’s undefeated for a reason and I’m fighting in his backyard, so there’s all the support for him. I know he’s gonna come with everything the same way I am, but you have to fight to find out.”
Prediction: Close Fight Goes To Ball
Prediction: Neither Ball nor Figueroa is a one-punch knockout artist, but both have great engines and fight on the front foot. It’s in Ball’s best interests to be aggressive, rough up Figueroa and force him to fight on the inside without his height being an advantage. Ball eventually wears down his opponents and takes over in the final rounds.
Figueroa has the potential to beat Ball, but it will take the right game plan. Figueroa has a tremendous reach advantage, and he can box from the outside and employ his movement to avoid Ball’s pressure. Figueroa is also an outstanding body puncher which is unusual for a wiry tall fighter, which he can use to chop away at Ball. But it takes stamina. If Figueroa is as conditioned as he claims, he has a solid chance.
But Ball is fighting at home, and if it goes to the judges, Figueroa has to build up a wide margin on the cards to have a chance. For this reason, while I believe Figueroa can win, Ball will get away with a decision.
Mexican Fiesta: Medina Defends Title against Curiel
A tasty all-action title fight between two Mexican fighters is flying under the radar. Christian Medina of Guadalajara (26-4, 13 KOs) defends his WBO World Bantamweight title in his hometown against challenger Adrian Curiel of Morelos (26-6-1, 5 KOs).
Both men made weight, Medina at 117 pounds, Curiel right on the 118-pound limit.
Medina won his title on the road in Japan with a knockout win over Yoshiki Takei last September. Now the 25-year-old gets to headline his first card with a title defense at home. He also hopes to keep his five-fight knockout streak going.
Curiel knows what it’s like to be a world champion, and he wants that feeling again. Curiel lost his light flyweight title in 2024, a shocker to Sivenathi Notshinga of South Africa in a rematch after winning their first fight by knockout. Curiel then suffered a second loss against Sunny Edwards. The Edwards fight was halted due to a severe cut over Edwards’ eye from an accidental headbutt, and it went to the cards giving the win to Edwards.
This is going to be a banger in the best sense of the term. If you can’t tear yourself away from the rest of the sports schedule tonight, at least watch the replay later.
Medina said he won’t let his hometown fans down Friday.
“We are Mexicans, that’s why we can accept the difficult challenges. It was wonderful to get the victory, and now what will be great is on Friday night to have my friends and family, all the people that I love, to see me defend my title.
“When you have so much good in your team, I don’t think things can go badly. I’m very well prepared physically and mentally to go and defend my title successfully on Friday night, and I look forward to seeing everyone there on Friday night.”
The Champion Loves a Challenge
Medina said he loves challenges and wanted to face someone like the former world champion Curiel.
Curiel said he is emotional and happy to be fighting at home with another chance at a title.
“It’s a dream and I hope to live out that dream on Friday night. I love challenges, even though they are difficult. ‘Chispa’ Medina is a great champion, and he’s not a champion by chance. But I’m here to break limits and I enjoy breaking limits.
“I’m just focusing on what I do and looking to pressure him, but I don’t think he will feel the pressure. We’re both here for a reason, we have both become champions because we can both manage that pressure,” said Curiel.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist and the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). She is the Managing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.