Kholmatov Vs Ford: Two Featherweight Talents Battling For World Title Glory
This Saturday, March 2, at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York, two of the brightest talents of the featherweight division go toe-to-toe for the vacant WBA world title.
In one corner will be Uzbekistan’s knockout specialist Otabek Kholmatov; in the other, slick American Raymond Ford. Both fighters are unbeaten and carry with them burgeoning reputations that they aim to further enhance by becoming world champion.
It’s a fight predicted to be close, with the bookies making Kholmatov a marginal favorite, so ahead of their title showdown this weekend, get to know the fighters below.
Kholmatov Fight Record
Kholmatov (12-0-0 11 KO) has made seamless progress through the professional ranks since making his debut in August 2021, and only one opponent, Andranik Grigorian, has been able to take the Uzbek the distance.
A solid amateur who won bronze at the Youth World Championships in 2016, Kholmatov had a remarkably active first year as a pro, fighting (and winning) nine times in 2021. His activity dropped significantly in 2022 when he fought just once – his wide points win over Grigorian – before fighting twice last year, securing wins over Thomas Patrick Ward and Balam Hernandez Acosta.
Kholmatov Fight Style
In a sport filled with self-promoters and trash talkers, Kholmatov is the perfect example of letting his hands do the talking. Based in Florida, the southpaw has strong fundamentals and likes to throw in bunches, leading almost every attack with his jab. But it’s his left hand that carries much of the power and Kholmatov throws it from all angles aiming to knock out his opponents.
He is very much a stick-and-mover, stepping into range to fire a combination and bouncing around the ring to keep himself as a moving target. This also allows Kholmatov to continuously create new angles for himself as he works his opponent’s body and head.
Kholmatov ‘Can Beat Anyone’
The Uzbek may be a man of few words, but he’s certainly not short of confidence. Speaking to Sports.uz in his homeland in December, Kholmatov laid out his immediate and long-term plans.
“To be honest, I consider myself the strongest in the weight class. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is in the fight for the championship,” he said before Ford had been announced as his next opponent. “I believe in myself and my strengths. I feel I can beat anyone in my weight class. Now the goal is to win the world championship. After that, I want to unify all belts and bring them to Uzbekistan!”
Ford Fight Record
Ford (14-0-1 7 KO) also enters the fight with an unbeaten record, although his path so far has not been quite as straightforward. The American, a decorated amateur and 2018 Golden Gloves champion, turned professional in March 2019 and eased through his first eight fights.
Ford was then held to a controversial split decision draw against Aaron Perez in March 2021 in a fight many people thought he had won. However, three fights later he was on the receiving end of a lucky break by being awarded a split-decision win over Edward Vazquez, with even Ford’s promoter Eddie Hearn claiming his fighter was “very lucky to get a decision … I thought [Vazquez] won”.
Since then, though, Ford has reeled off three convincing wins to climb to No 2 in the WBA featherweight rankings to set up his bout with Kholmatov.
Ford Fighting Style
Ford may not have the efficient knockout power of Kholmatov but the American can still bang and has stopped half his opponents inside the distance. However, it’s his razor-sharp hands that are Ford’s major strength. The American possesses blistering speed, earning much of his success on the counter and by beating his opponents to the punch.
It is with that speed that Ford overwhelms his rivals rather than concussive one-punch power, while the punch accuracy that brought him so much success as an amateur as transferred effectively to the pro ranks. Ford can be a little ragged at times, so it will be interesting to see how his style matches up against the more rigid Kholmatov.
Ford Ready To ‘Outclass’ Kholmatov
Like his upcoming opponent, Ford is not lacking in self-belief. When asked if there was anything about Kholmatov he was wary of, Ford replied: “Nothing. “Nothing at all.
“He got a lot of holes in his game. I’m a go in there and dominate. That’s what I train to do. I’m not going in there looking for a close fight. I’m a completely outclass him and show him and the whole world that he’s not on my level.”
