Bruce Carrington knows his bargaining position has changed and he’s ready to use it. Now the full-fledged WBC featherweight champion, Bruce Carrington carries real leverage into any unification talks after a highlight-reel knockout of Carlos Castro on Saturday night at a sold-out Madison Square Garden. The emphatic finish not only legitimized his title status after an interim reign—it announced Carrington as a star on boxing’s biggest stage.
As much as the affable Brooklyn native known as “Shu Shu” has enjoyed what he called a “surreal” victory lap, his focus has already shifted across the Atlantic. Carrington will be watching closely this Saturday in Liverpool, England, where WBA champion Nick Ball defends his belt against Brandon Figueroa.
Carrington expects Ball to retain and if that happens, he’s open to taking the unification fight to the champion’s backyard, provided the deal makes sense.
“I would definitely be down to fight in England, as long as it makes sense business-wise,” Carrington told The Ring. “I don’t want to give too much leverage away. I’m champion, he’s champion. Granted, he’s more established than I am right now. But still if it makes more sense to fight in New York, I’d rather that. That said, I wouldn’t mind going across the pond to take his strap and bring it back home to New York and become a unified champ.”
Ball vs. Figueroa: What Carrington Sees
Ball (23-0-1, 13 KOs) makes the fourth defense of his WBA title when he faces Figueroa (26-2-1, 19 KOs) at M&S Bank Arena, with DAZN streaming the 12-round main event. Three of Ball’s four title defenses have been staged at the Liverpool venue, and he enters as nearly a 4-1 favorite.
Carrington believes the matchup will be action-packed but ultimately favors the hometown champion.
“I think Nick Ball will win the fight,” Carrington said. “It’ll be a firefight. Stylistically, it’s very fan friendly both guys bring pressure and are very physical. But I think Brandon Figueroa’s defense is what might cost him.
“He kind of throws rounds away. He throws a lot of punches, but he gets hit with big shots, and that catches the judges’ eyes. They start thinking, ‘OK, maybe this guy lost that round.’ That’s why I think Nick Ball may win.”
Rankings, Promoters, and What’s Next
The Ring currently ranks Ball third among featherweight contenders for its vacant championship, with Carrington sixth and Figueroa seventh. Assuming Ball emerges with his belt intact. Carrington hopes promoters Top Rank (Carrington) and Queensberry Promotions (Ball) get serious about making a unification bout.
“I feel like the featherweight division is the hottest it’s ever been,” Carrington said. “This is the time to make it happen. However we’ve got to do it, we’ll do it but it has to make sense business-wise.”
With momentum, marketability, and a real belt now in hand, Carrington isn’t just chasing big fights he’s positioned to dictate them.
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Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
