Brandon Figueroa stuns Nick Ball with 12th-round knockout to claim WBA featherweight championship

The young American claimed his second title on Saturday night in thrilling fashion

Saturday's WBA featherweight championship fight between Nick Ball and Brandon Figueroa delivered on its promise of non-stop action. In the end, Figueroa ripped the title away from Ball by scoring a thrilling 12th-round knockout.

Both fighters operated as usual, with the 5-foot-2 Ball bullying his way inside where he could operate with a steady barrage of power punches. That strategy paid off well in the first half of the fight, with Ball finding success with uppercuts and hooks at close range.

As is Figueroa's usual style, he dug to the body and let his hands go with combinations in close. Figueroa also managed to throw stiff straight shots at times, tagging Ball with jabs and straight right hands.

Figueroa began to come on more and more in the second half of the fight, forcing Ball onto the back foot with more regularity as the scorecards seemed to be tightening up.

The fighters came together to touch gloves at the start of the 12th round, and with the scorecards very much in the air, it was clear neither man would look to coast through the final round.