Figueroa wants to use his reach advantage and keep Ball on the end of his jab but the Liverpudlian has plenty of experience being the shorter fighter.

Ball times an uppercut perfectly and rocks the challengers head back.

That was undoubtedly the shot of the round but it's pretty close for the rest of the three minutes.

Image source, Queensberry

No surprise that Brendon Figueroa is heavily booed as his record is read out.

All the support in the arena is for the champion.

Off we go...

Image source, Queensberry

The votes are in and you're overwhelmingly siding with defending WBA featherweight champion Nick Ball.

Nick Ball is even quicker to march down the ramp to 50 Cent's 'Many Men'.

No time for anything sentimental even if he is back in front of a home crowd in Liverpool.

Image source, Queensberry

Here comes the challenger.

Brendon Figueroa is nicknamed 'The Heartbreaker' and he has a big heart emblazoned across the chest of his jacket.

The American is pretty quick to get down the ramp and into the ring.

Kal Sajad
BBC Sport at M&S Bank Arena

Of Britain's six male world champions, Nick Ball is the only one to have defended his title.

If he can make a successful fourth defence of his belt tonight, there are some lucrative and exciting match-ups out there.

Japan’s Naoya Inoue, the undisputed super-bantamweight champion and bona fide superstar, has been mentioned as a future opponent. That’s the sort of fight that catapults you globally.

Newly crowned WBC featherweight champion Bruce Carrington has called out Ball for a unification fight and said he could be in Liverpool tonight.

What is going on here?

'Sweet Caroline' is still playing and we're seeing shots of both Nick Ball and Brendon Figueroa walking through the corridors.

This is not how it is supposed to happen.

The crowd seem to be having a good time, though.

Image source, Queensberry

Brandon Figueroa lands in Liverpool with a very impressive CV.

The American, who hails from Texas, is a two-weight world champion - holding titles at super-bantamweight and featherweight.

Figueroa, nicknamed 'The Heartbreaker', has two defeats on his 29 fight record, winning 26 and drawing one. He has won 19 of his bouts via knockout.

His two career defeats both came against Stephen Fulton - handing over his WBC and WBO super-bantamweight belts in 2021 and conceding his WBC featherweight strap in 2025.

The 29-year-old bounced back to beat fellow American Joet Gonzalez in July to seal his place as Nick Ball's mandatory challenger.

Tonight's bout marks the first time that Figueroa will compete outside of his native USA.

Kal Sajad
BBC Sport at M&S Bank Arena

Ball is listed at 5ft 2in. He joked earlier this week that he’s used to “punching up” - and he’ll have to again tonight.

Figueroa enjoys a seven-inch height advantage. But at Friday's weigh-in, Ball said he prefers the bigger target.

Image source, Getty Images

Frank Warren has moved with the times when it comes to securing the right broadcaster for his events.

Some in the sport fear major fights going on to streaming platforms isn't good for the long-term future, while others argue changing viewing habits mean they need to move.

Warren falls into the latter category.

Queensberry moved to DAZN in 2025 after being with TNT Sports and previously on BoxNation and Sky Sports.

"EastEnders at one time had 15 million, 20 million people watching," Warren said.

"They're lucky to get three now. What fans are watching and how they're watching is different now.

"I talk to my grandkids all the time and they hardly watch TV. They get most of their entertainment through YouTube."

Good news!

We are well ahead of schedule so you can completely disregard any suggestion that ringwalks could be at 22:15 GMT.

The main event is up next.

Kal Sajad
BBC Sport at M&S Bank Arena

Will Liverpool be having a Ball tonight? Will the crowd be bouncing? Will the Ball be deflated? Or will it roll on towards unification fights?

There. That’s out of my system. Now we can focus on the small matter of a world-title fight in a very loud arena.

Image source, Queensberry

Size-wise, this fight echoes the tale of 'David versus Goliath' given that the Brit is seven inches shorter than his American opponent.

As well as the height difference, much has been made of Brandon Figueroa's last fight, in which he threw over 1000 punches over 12 rounds against Joet Gonzalez.

Neither of these factors are a concern to the 28 year-old Nick Ball.

"The taller they are, the harder they fall." Ball said. "Bigger target, bigger body, all bigger things to hit.”

"He threw over 1000 punches in his last fight against somebody who isn’t me so I’m not taking too much from it. It’s what is coming back at him is what you need to worry about.”

"It can go early, it can go late. It’s going to end in a win for Nick Ball."

After Ball's first 19 fights as a professional were all on home soil, three of his last five have been contested in Saudi Arabia.

That is a consequence of Ball's excellence, but the Scouser is more than happy to be back fighting on his own territory

“There’s no place like home is there?" Ball said.

"I’ve been all round the world fighting on these big shows, big events, but you realise back home is something else.

"Makes you appreciate it. This is what it’s all about.”

Image source, Getty Images

Frank Warren has seen plenty of boxing promotions come and go during his 45 years in the game.

The latest to enter the ring is Zuffa Boxing, backed by UFC chief Dana White, WWE's Nick Khan and Saudi Arabian finances.

Zuffa Boxing has plans to include a league-style format and one belt under their promotion - providing they are successful at making amendments to the Muhammad Ali Act in the US.

Warren is not on board with one belt in the sport and doesn't see how that takes off in the future - although he admits having four sanctioning bodies is too much, with the WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF all having world titles in each division.

"I don't think it is right," Warren said. "I can go back to when I was a kid and there was basically, when it was one entity or two, WBA and WBC - there were fighters getting parked up and not fighting for world titles for years.

"Four governing bodies is too much. However, it does keep it moving. There are lots of title fights going on and what we do get is unifications.

"When an unification fight happens, it's a big, big thing."

Image source, Getty Images

Most Valuable Promotions is heading to the UK for the first time on 5 April with four world titles fights lined up at the Olympia in London.

WBC champion Caroline Dubois faces WBO belt-holder Terri Harper in a lightweight unification bout, while the co-main sees Ellie Scotney meets Mexico's Mayelli Flores in an undisputed contest at super-bantamweight.

Fellow Britons Chantelle Cameron and Emma Dolan are also in action on the undercard in world title fights.

• Catch up on the announcement

Kal Sajad
BBC Sport at M&S Bank Arena

Liverpool is a boxing-loving city and you can really feel that.

The M&S Bank Arena holds around 7,500 for boxing events, and it's reasonably full. With a card packed with local fighters, most fans took their seats nice and early.