Unbeaten junior middleweight prospect Justin Figueroa might not have a blemish on his record, but his journey hasn't been without adversity. In his ninth professional bout, in May of 2024, Figueroa faced a humbling moment when he was dropped by Antoni Armos, which was a near catastrophe.

Now, he prepares for his upcoming fight in August in Texas, though details of the exact date and opponent remain undisclosed. 

To ready himself, the 26-year-old Figueroa, 12-0 (10 KOs), will join fellow Fighter First Management athlete Brian Norman Jnr in training camp, ahead of Norman's second WBO welterweight title defense against Jin Sasaki, which takes place on June 19 in Tokyo, Japan.

Reflecting on the experience, "Mr. Atlantic City” looked back on what has been his most difficult experience to overcome so far.

“It was the second round and the guy was southpaw, so I remember I dove in with a right hand because I was beating him up,” Figueroa told BoxingScene. “He slipped and threw a right uppercut, which caught me right on the chin and turned my whole neck around. And at that moment, I knew I got hit. It didn't hurt. I was like, ‘Oh, I got caught.’ And then all of a sudden, I opened my eyes and I was on the ground, and I was like, ‘holy shit.’”

Figueroa, in disbelief, couldn't believe a punch sent him to the canvas. He thought he must have tripped, but when he saw referee Earl Brown counting he knew he needed to regroup. When he got to his feet he asked his long-time time trainer Johnny Gibbs, better known as "Coach String," if he tripped. 

He hadn’t; he got hit with a shot. 

“When I went back to watch the tape, I saw I went in careless. I got to stick with the basics,” Figueroa said. “I got so excited. I got caught with a good shot, but I was excited to be able to get back up and then take it to him the very next round and stop him in the fourth.”

The fourth-round stoppage after being on the canvas taught Figueroa many important lessons in Figueroa’s young career. One, you can’t knock everybody out, especially when you want to. Two, every fighter is dangerous, and three, experience matters. When asked why he won’t overlook his next opponent, Figueroa pointed to this fight as an example and stated that his manager Jolene Mizzone would kick his ass if he did.

“I wanted to get a knockout, so I started to rush my work and I ended up getting dropped that fight. I just told myself, you got to take everyone seriously, no matter what the record is, no matter what they look like, even if they have a little bit of chunk on the trunk, you got to take everyone like it's a championship fight because your career could be over with just one punch.” Figueroa said. 

“I have to be cautious with the keys that I use to open these doors, just so I can get to the next door, but I'm staying ready.”