Career
Figueroa, who is currently undefeated, made two defenses of the title before vacating it and moving up to light welterweight. Figueroa had approximately 40 amateur bouts, mostly fought in Texas and Mexico, but quickly turned professional, admitting he "did not care for" the amateur ranks. Writer Scott Christ of the boxing blog Bad Left Hook later said of Figueroa and Arakawa"s encounter:
"This fight was unreal and has to be seen to be believed.
The brutality was simply off the charts.
They might not agree with it today, but I saw more than one person last night saying that this was the best fight they"ve ever seen, or the best fight of the 2000s. That might be too far, but when those thoughts cross your mind during a fight, you"re unquestionably seeing something special."
In 2015, Figueroa defeated former world titleist Ricky Burns via unanimous decision at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas.