Leigh Wood vacated the WBA featherweight championship in October 2023 and we are set to find out the name of the new champion this weekend. Two undefeated young talents will clash for the vacant belt in New York. Here is our Kholmatov vs Ford prediction.
Kholmatov vs Ford Prediction: First Title Match for Both Youngsters
Otabek Kholmatov Preview
Otabek is a truly impressive young fighter and winning this belt will put him on the right track to becoming the next face of Uzbek boxing.
He began training at an early age and won numerous medals from local boxing tournaments. Since starting his professional career, he won 11 of 12 victories with a KO/TKO. In 2022, won his only decision against the then-undefeated Andranik Grigoryan. In his last match, promoters gave him an easily passable opponent with a record of 7-13, where the latter had suffered 5 defeats in a row.
Overall, this pretty much sums up his experience to date and the fact that he got called to fight for the vacant title is somewhat sad. It shows that the level in this weight category is not very high at the moment. His most notable opponents were Ward, Acosta, and Pena but the rest can hardly be considered pro fighters.
Otabek works well from a distance and has knockout power but his insufficient experience sometimes leads to childish mistakes in the ring. He sometimes stagnates and absorbs too many shots.
Raymond Ford Preview
Raymond Ford had a solid amateur career and won the American Golden Gloves tournament. Since starting his pro career, he got 14 wins and a draw and also remains undefeated.
In his recent fights, he managed to inflict the first career defeats to Edward Vazquez and Richard Medina – two promising young athletes. He also defeated Sakaria Lukas and crushed Jessie Magdaleno, which was one of the highest-rated fights in 2023. To sum this all up, he faced far tougher boxers on his way to this title shot.
The “Savage” utilizes a style that replicates Floyd Mayweather’s boxing, using a similar defensive style with counter-punching. Of course, we will never compare him with the legend but we had to point out his fighting style. Unlike Mayweather, Ford is still young and it often shows when he stagnates and gets hit with combinations.
Otabek Kholmatov vs Raymond Ford Prediction: Uzbekistan Will Have a New Champion
Raymond Ford is famous for his anthropometry, speed, and good footwork. Nevertheless, his punches are often unimpactful, which is proven by the fact that he had only 7 knockouts in 14 wins. Otabek is a far more aggressive fighter and will probably land more significant strikes, which will help him win the decision if the fight goes to distance. At the same time, he is more likely to find a knockout during the match. We pick the Uzbek for our Kholmatov vs Ford prediction.
Vlad is a former amateur MMA fighter. After a series of injuries, he found a different way to connect with the sport and its fanbase - through writing. He's been covering everything-UFC for over 5 years on various platforms and has been part of the team at NYFights since early 2022.
