Figueroa Stripped of WBA Featherweight Title After Missing Weight

Brandon Figueroa was stripped of the WBA featherweight title after coming in over a pound heavy for his defense against Tomoki Kameda. The miss came at Friday’s official morning weigh-in at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, where Figueroa weighed 127.4lbs, over the 126lbs featherweight limit.

Figueroa said: “I’m just ready. We prepared 110%. Just like what I did in the U.K., going out there against all odds, nothing is gonna come between me and keeping this belt. I’ve lost it before and gained it back. Now I don’t plan on losing it again.”

Tomoki Kameda of Japan made weight at a reported 125.8lbs. He is the only challenger eligible to capture the vacant WBA featherweight belt after Figueroa missed weight.

The bout between Figueroa and Kameda is the co-main event for the latest edition of the monthly TNT/DAZN boxing series, “The Fight.” A victory over Figueroa would reportedly allow Kameda to claim the WBA featherweight belt.

Kameda is fighting for the first time since a close loss to Angelo Leo 17 months ago.

Figueroa told Chris Mannix that he suffered a “hamstring injury” while training, which impacted his weight cutting.

Figueroa said: “I wanted to get to the top level and fight the best of the best … as a champion, you take it on the chin and figure it out.” He added: “I’m just getting better every fight. Everyone is going to see on Saturday everything that I’ve worked for. This belt isn’t going anywhere. I promise you that.”

Figueroa won the WBA featherweight belt over England’s Nick Ball by 12th-round knockout on February 7 in Liverpool. He reportedly turned down a unification fight against Rafael Espinoza earlier this year to wait for Naoya Inoue.

Inoue said this week he planned to start preparing for a move to featherweight. If Kameda wins, he would reportedly inherit a fight against Inoue.

What do you make of Kameda’s position as the sole challenger for the vacant WBA featherweight title on “The Fight”?