LIVERPOOL, England - Brandon Figueroa silenced Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena with a stunning 12th-round stoppage of previously-unbeaten champion Nick Ball. The action was streamed live on DAZN.

The dramatic win earned two-weight world champion Figueroa (27-2-1, 19 KOs) the WBA featherweight belt and made the 29-year-old Texan a two-time title holder at 126 pounds.

A close fight seemed to be up for grabs when Figueroa landed a left hook less than 10 seconds into the final round.

The shot deposited Ball, who entered the ring as a 4-1 favorite, face down on the canvas. Although he somehow got to his feet by the count of eight, Figueroa followed up and a flurry of punches sent Ball (23-1-1, 13 KOs) through the ropes. After a short count, referee Steve Gray stopped the fight 32 seconds into the final frame.

Figueroa, the mandatory challenger for Ball's belt, was ahead on two scorecards entering the last round of a main event DAZN streamed worldwide. Judges Glenn Feldman and Marcus McDonnell both had Figueroa in front 106-103, though Jean-Robert Laine had Ball ahead 107-102.

“I felt like I was dominating,” Figueroa told DAZN’s Ade Oladipo. “You know, Nick Ball’s a great champion, tough. He wasn’t going anywhere, but I just caught him with that short left hook, went out there and finished it.”

Team Figueroa’s immediate celebrations drew an angry reaction from Ball’s team but tempers quickly calmed.

“Big shoutout to Nick Ball," Figueroa said. "He’s a great Liverpool champion, one of the best England’s ever had. Nothing but respect to the champion. I’m sorry for the [celebration]. We didn’t mean nothing. We were just excited, you know. Sorry about that.”

Ball got off to an electric start. Boxing as a southpaw, Figueroa offered precious little to stop Ball from walking directly into range. He was momentarily shook by a short right hand and had his head knocked back by a series of uppercuts the first time they found themselves working in a clinch.

At range, Figueroa’s punches were too slow and wide for Ball who was able to dart in and out to land quick hurtful punches but also leap in with lead left hooks over Figueroa’s southpaw jab.

Despite holding a six-inch height advantage over the 5-foot-3 Ball, Figueroa wisely decided to get up close and personal in the third and started to enjoy far more success as he found his rhythm. Ball found it harder to time his attacks with the tall, aggressive Figueroa bearing down on him.

Figueroa began to ramp up the pressure and dig in hooks to Ball’s body. Whenever Figueroa’s attack slowed, the champion was still able to find clean counters as he edged backward, but was having to think about defense more than he has since his June 2024 title-winning effort against Raymond Ford.

Nose bloodied, Ball was more active in the seventh and had his best round for some time. He managed to get off his shots before Figueroa but his attacks were coming in ones and two rather than his usual bursts.

Figueroa began rolling forward again in the eighth. He targeted the body more and one thumping right hand echoed around ringside and began closing the distanced unloading before Ball could let his own hands go.

He continued that momentum in the ninth. Figueroa bulled Ball to the ropes time and time again. There were no major scoring shots, but he gave the impression that he was controlling the action.

The pace slowed slightly in the 10th and the extra space between the two suited Ball, who found his timing again and was able to get his punches off. Nothing seemed to trouble Figueroa, but Ball’s punches were the more eye-catching, scoring shots.

In the end, it was Figueroa who landed the most telling punch of the entire contest. The sudden, shocking left that floored Ball sucked the air out of the arena. Figueroa didn’t let his moment pass by and produced a stunning dramatic finish to take the decision out of the judges hands.

Lots of avenues will now open up for the crowd-pleasing Figueroa.