Nick Ball Thinks Brandon Figueroa is Similar, But He's Still Better

LIVERPOOL, England — Nick Ball, the WBA featherweight world champ, is back and ready to go.

Sitting at Liverpool’s BoxPark, he glanced at the screens showing his February 7 title defence against Brandon Figueroa.

“This is going to be good, yeah?” Ball (23-0-1, 13 KOs) said before the press conference.

“You don’t get to be a two-weight world champion by being bad. He fights kinda like me—well, he’s about to find out he’s nothing like me—but I see where people make the comparisons.”

After a controversial draw with WBC champ Rey Vargas, he came back and beat Raymond Ford to grab the WBA title just three months later.

Riding that wave, Ball came back to Liverpool and stopped Ronny Rios and TJ Doheny. Then, in August, he won against Sam Goodman from Australia.

Ball did enough to beat Goodman, but he wasn't at his best.

After a bunch of training camps, Ball chilled out for a bit, and the idea of fighting Figueroa (26-2-1, 19 KOs) has him excited like he was before the Vargas and Ford fights.

“It’s on,” he said.

“You have to be on it for every fight. Your life is on the line, especially against a fighter like this. Gotta listen to your team and stick to what you know.”

Ball is good at pushing his style on his opponents.

Figueroa, despite being 5-foot-9, will ditch his height and reach advantage to brawl up close. Back in July, he threw over 1,000 punches to beat Joet Gonzalez in their WBA title eliminator.

Ball won’t have to get Figueroa to trade blows. The guy will be in Liverpool looking for a fight.

“Yeah, he is,” Ball said. “He’s coming to Liverpool to take my belt. This is his shot at a world title. Of course, he’s going to try.

Will he win? Ball asked, smiling. “Who knows?”

Ball, 28, has been a world champ longer than any other Brit right now. He also stays out of the spotlight. He’s not all over social media and usually only shows up to support his teammates from the Everton Red Triangle Gym.

Figueroa would be a big name on Ball’s growing record.

Other fighters who haven’t done as much as him get way more attention, but Ball doesn’t care about the rankings.

“Not for me to say. That’s up to you guys and the fans,” he said.

“I think I’m an exciting fighter. People like to watch fighters who go all out.

“Everyone’s got their own ideas. Some will say it, some won’t. Doesn’t matter. I’m just going to keep doing my thing.”

Two of Anthony Joshua's buddies and team members died in that car crash in Nigeria where the British boxer was hurt.

Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele passed away when their car, with Joshua and another person inside, crashed into a parked truck near Lagos.

According to the Ogun State government, Joshua is doing okay and didn't need immediate medical help.

Matchroom, Joshua's promoters, said they were really sorry and thinking of the families and friends of Ghami and Ayodele.

The statement said it was really sad news that Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, two close friends and team members, had died.

Matchroom Boxing and 258 BXG said that Anthony got hurt in the accident and went to the hospital to get checked out. He's doing fine and will stay there for a bit to be watched over.

They also said they were sending their deepest sympathies and prayers to everyone affected and asked that people respect their privacy during this tough time.

Fellow boxer Chris Eubank Jr. also paid his respects to Ghami and Ayodele, who was also called 'Latz,' saying they were genuinely good guys.

The British middleweight said, Thank goodness our heavyweight champ survived that awful car crash. Pray for Latz & Sina and their families. I knew them both; they were good people. Rest in peace, guys.

Ghami was Joshua's full-time rehab coach and had worked with him for over 10 years.

He helped the former champ get ready for some big fights, like the one against Wladimir Klitschko in 2017 and the recent win over Jake Paul.

Ghami also worked with Le'Veon Bell from the Pittsburgh Steelers and Draymond Green from the Golden State Warriors.

Just before the crash, Joshua posted a video on Instagram of him playing ping pong with his longtime friend Ayodele, who was a personal trainer.

Joshua was in Nigeria after beating Jake Paul in Miami earlier this month.

Paul wrote on X that life is more important than boxing and that he was praying for those who died, AJ, and anyone else affected by the accident.

Sonny Bill Williams, a former New Zealand rugby star, posted photos with Joshua and Latif, saying, Rest easy, brother Abdul Latif. I hope things are easy for your family.

British bantamweight Shannon Courtenay said, RIP Sina and Latz, two good guys. Last week we were all having fun in Miami, and now you're gone. Life's too short. I hope their families are okay during this terrible time.

Video from the scene showed Joshua being helped out of a wrecked car.

Nigeria's Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said that five men were involved in the crash.

They added that Joshua and the driver were saved by Joshua's security team.

The crash involved a black Lexus and a parked red truck on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway around noon on Monday.

The FRSC thinks the Lexus was going too fast and lost control while trying to pass, crashing into the truck.

Joshua had just come back to boxing after a year off, beating Jake Paul in what was a huge payday. He was in Nigeria to spend New Year's with family when this happened.

The plan was for Joshua to box again in Saudi Arabia in February before maybe fighting Tyson Fury in 2026. But right now, that doesn't seem important.

Joshua has lost two close friends, including his longtime coach Ghami. It's hard to say how much this will affect him. Ghami was with him during fight week in Miami and joined him in the ring after he beat Paul.

Whatever he does next in his career doesn't really matter right now. The boxing world is hoping that Joshua gets through this okay.