Raymond Ford, a highly skilled boxer in the super-featherweight division, believes his path to becoming a two-division world champion is still challenging.
Last year, the southpaw showcased his elite talent by securing the WBA featherweight title with an impressive 12th-round stoppage of Otabek Kholmatov. This victory was particularly remarkable as Ford was behind on two judges` scorecards before the knockout.
Despite admitting struggles with the 126lb weight limit, the American boxer delivered another outstanding performance against Nick Ball.
However, in the Ball fight, Ford experienced a controversial split decision loss before deciding to move up to the 130lb super-featherweight division.
Now competing at 130lbs, Ford intends to leverage his added weight advantage to position himself for a world title challenge.
Following a clear unanimous decision win last November, the 26-year-old is eager to continue his winning streak against Thomas Mattice this Saturday.
Their fight is scheduled as part of the undercard for the welterweight unification bout between Jaron Ennis and Eimantas Stanionis at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
While focused on his upcoming match, Ford has made it clear that he aspires to become a champion in two weight classes.
As the IBF`s fourth-ranked contender, Ford could potentially face the winner of the upcoming fight between Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez and Masanori Rikiishi for the vacant IBF super-featherweight title.
However, Ford suggests that Nunez, along with current super-featherweight champions O’Shaquie Foster and Emanuel Navarrete, seem reluctant to fight him.
“Things aren`t looking promising with Sugar Nunez,” Ford mentioned. “If he captures the IBF title, I doubt he`ll want to box me.”
“I haven`t heard directly from him, but news travels fast, and I hear things. That’s why I’ll need to climb to the top contender spot and become the mandatory challenger for a world title.”
“O`Shaquie Foster prefers to engage in fights on Twitter. And while I haven`t had any exchanges with Navarrete, he`s with Top Rank, and they`re unlikely to match us up. It’s too risky for them.”
Although the Nunez vs. Rikiishi fight is yet to be officially announced, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, who promotes both Ford and Nunez, has indicated his interest in making that fight happen.
Despite this, Ford remains skeptical that any of the super-featherweight champions would readily agree to a voluntary title defense against him.
