By: Sean Crose
Raymond Ford 14-0-1 entered the ring at Turning Stone Resort and Casino on Saturday night hoping to capture the vacant WBA featherweight championship. His opponent in the scheduled round 12 is Otabek Kholmatov with a score of 12-0. The first round was largely a feel-good process, although Kholmatov was able to land effectively. Ford almost fell short for an interesting second, as Kholmatov landed some good shots while Ford largely fought well behind his quick jab. While Ford remained sharp in the third round, he simply let Kholmatov land cleanly too often. By the end of the round, Kholmatov was landing impressive punches.
Ford was quite aggressive in the fourth round, throwing quick punches and controlling the pace of the round. A very busy Kholmatov completely dominated the fifth round with punching combinations. The sixth season was exciting and fast-paced, with everyone having their strong moments. Kholmatov shot his man down in the seventh round. Ford had a solid eighth place, with sharp shots of his own and clean landings. Kholmatov started moving and completely avoided Ford in round nine. Ford played well in the tenth, but Kholmatov was even better. Throughout the war, the man seemed to have more going for him than Ford.
A bloodied but determined Ford managed to pull away in eleventh place, to achieve some positive results. However, it looked like Ford wouldn’t have much of a chance on the referee’s card as the twelfth round began. So Ford ignored it all, charged at Kholmatov, landed like he had been trying to land all night, and finally did enough to make the referee legally stop the fight just before the bell. final bell. It was an extraordinary victory for the New Jersey native, who is now the WBA world featherweight champion.
