Popular WBA World Featherweight champion Nick “Wrecking” Ball will make a fourth defense of his title when he takes on mandatory challenger Brandon Figueroa of Welasco, Texas on Saturday, February 7, 2026, at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool.
Since his triumph in winning the WBA belt from Raymond Ford in June 2024 in Riyadh in the first “5-vs-5” team tournament with Matchroom Boxing, the 28-year-old Ball (23-0-1, 13 KOs) has registered successful defences against Ronny Rios, TJ Doheny and, most recently, Sam Goodman, to retain his unbeaten status as champion.
It will be Ball’s third title fight in his hometown of Liverpool.
Figueroa (26-2-1, 19 KOs), also age 28 and known as ‘The Heartbreaker,’ will be in world title action for a third time.
Figueroa is a former two-weight world champion, winning the WBA World Super Bantamweight title with a victory over Damien Vazquez in 2020. He added the WBC championship in a unification bout with a stoppage of Luis Nery in 2021.
Figueroa lost his belts via a narrow majority decision to Stephen Fulton. He then moved up to featherweight and became WBC Interim World Champion with a decision verdict over Mark Magsayo in 2023.
Figueroa fought in a rematch with Fulton for a second time, coming up short of a win. Figueroa returned to the win column with a victory over Joet Gonzalez in July.
Ball vs Figueroa: ‘Boxing is Booming in Liverpool’
“This is a great fight for Liverpool and an extension of our blockbuster beginning to 2026,” said Queensberry promoter Frank Warren.
“We are so proud of Nick and what he has accomplished, and this is a glamour fight, against a recognised American talent, that he fully deserves to have in his home city.
“Figueroa represents a genuine threat, but we believe Nick has the beating of everyone in the division, and he will prove this over time.
“Boxing is booming in Liverpool again, and we are thrilled to be at the spearhead of this with Nick as the driving force. He delivers a perfect platform for all our other local contenders to showcase themselves on world title cards.”
Undercard bouts will be announced at a later date.
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.