‘Ball is one of the best England have ever had’published at 23:00 GMT 7 February
23:00 GMT 7 February
Figueroa beats Ball by stoppage
Brandon Figueroa speaking after his victory: “I am so excited! I want to thank God and my team and I’m proud to be Mexican-American.
“I am grateful to the fans here in Liverpool, I am very excited to be champion again. Big shoutout to Nick Ball, he is a great Liverpool champion and one of the best England have ever had. I have nothing but respect for him.
“I’m sorry [for the celebration], we didn’t mean anything, we were just excited. Sorry about that.
“I felt I was dominating. Nick wasn’t going anywhere but I caught him with that left hook and I just went out and finished it.
“I worked really hard in the gym, I have been away from my family for three months. We came out overseas 10 days in advance. Shoutout to the team and my family.”
When asked what’s next: “I just want to fight in my home town. Let’s unify. I always want the best of the best, but I feel like my fans back home deserve a fight. We’re going to go back to the drawing board, re-assess this fight and get back to work.”
Image source, Queensberry