Scouser Nick Ball has confirmed his next fight will see him defend his WBA title against American Brandon Figueroa in Liverpool.
Ball will face the former two-weight world champion on Saturday the 7th February 2026 at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool.
The bout, officially ordered by the World Boxing Association as a mandatory world title defence, marks a significant step up from Ball’s previous voluntary defences.
The fight is scheduled to be live on DAZN.
The 28-year-old won the WBA featherweight crown on 1st June 2024 with a split decision victory over Ray Ford.
Ball’s first two defences took place in front of his home crowd at the M&S Bank Arena, stopping Ronny Rios and then TJ Doheny in the 10th round.
His most recent outing saw him earn a unanimous decision victory over Sam Goodman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in August 2025.
Unlike those earlier fights, which were voluntary defences against selected opponents, the WBA recently mandated that Ball face the organisation’s top available challenger.
This required him to box Figueroa in Liverpool after the champion had held the title long enough to trigger the mandatory clause.
The WBA Championships Committee issued its order in October, giving both camps a negotiation period before finalising the agreement for the February showdown.
Figueroa, a 28-year-old from Weslaco, Texas, arrives in Liverpool as a former WBA and WBC titleholder who has won world championships in both the super bantamweight and featherweight divisions.
He brings a professional record of 26-2-1 with 19 knockouts into the bout.
He has been rebuilding his momentum after losing his WBC featherweight title earlier in 2025.
He then secured a unanimous decision win over Joet Gonzalez in July.
This will be Figueroa’s first professional fight in Liverpool or elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
The fight promises to be one of the biggest events in Merseyside in early 2026.
Ball looks to solidify his reign on home soil against a recognised and experienced challenger.
Promoter Frank Warren said: “We’re delighted to be going back to Merseyside early next year for another signature Nick Ball World Title fight at the M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool.
“Nick always delivers entertaining, hard hitting fights and this one promises to be no different against two-weight World Champion, Brandon Figueroa.
“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.”
