Brandon Figueroa Stripped of WBA Featherweight Title Ahead of Scheduled Defense

Brandon Figueroa's second attempt at a featherweight title reign has come to an unfortunate end before it could even get off the floor.

The 29-year-old Texan claimed the WBA 126-pound title with a shocking knockout win over former champion Nick Ball in February. Figueroa was set to attempt his first defense on Saturday in the co-main event of Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj before being stripped of the title during weigh-ins.

Figueroa weighed in at 127.4 pounds on Friday, 1.4 pounds over the limit, thus causing an abrupt end to his championship tenure, according to boxing reporter Dan Rafael. The now-former champion missed the mark on his first attempt and did not weigh in a second time.

Figueroa's opponent, Tomoki Kameda, successfully weighed in at 125.8 pounds. As of the weigh-ins, the fight will still proceed with only Kameda eligible to win the title.

Should the fight get called off, a super middleweight matchup between former champion Armando Resendiz and Australia's Koen Mazoudier would fill the co-main event slot. Resendiz accepted the fight on short notice, replacing Jermall Charlo.

Standing 5-foot-9, Figueroa is one of the biggest fighters competing at 126 pounds. However, he previously competed at 122 pounds and has never dealt with any significant weight issues before.

Win or lose on Saturday, Figueroa now appears destined for the 130-pound division. Three of the four primary super featherweight titles will be on the line between O'Shaquie Foster and Emanuel Navarrete on Oct. 24.

Brandon Figueroa misses weight for WBA title fight against Tomoki Kameda

Barring a last-minute cancellation, Figueroa's fight with Kameda will be his fifth title fight in seven featherweight appearances. Three years before his upset win over Ball, Figueroa claimed his first 126-pound world title by overwhelming former champion Mark Magsayo to win the interim WBC strap.

After entering enemy territory to rip the title away from Ball, Figueroa was set to enter a favorable first title defense matchup against 35-year-old and 47-fight veteran Kameda. The Japanese slugger is coming off a competitive majority decision loss to IBF titleholder Angelo Leo in May.

Despite the weight miss, Figueroa is still a strong favorite to win the fight, even if he can no longer retain the title. Kameda has never been stopped and remains competitive at the highest level, though he is still just 2-2 in his last four outings.