Unbeaten younger stars Otabek Kholmatov and Raymond Ford are scheduled to battle for a vacant 126-pound title Saturday in Verona, New York.
OTABEK KHOLMATOV (12-0, 11 KOs)
VS. RAYMOND FORD (14-0-1, 7 KOs)
Date: Saturday, March 2
Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (most important occasion later in present)
The place: Turning Stone Resort & On line casino, Verona, New York
TV/Stream: ESPN+
Division: Featherweight (126 kilos)
At stake: Vacant WBA title
Odds: Kholmatov 1½-1 favourite (common of a number of shops)
Significance (as much as 5 stars): ***
Additionally on the cardboard: Luis Alberto Lopez vs. Reiya Abe, featherweights (for Lopez’s IBF title); Brian Norman Jr. vs. Janelson Bocachica, welterweights
Background: We’ll see which rising younger contender is the true deal. Kholmatov, a former youth novice star from Uzbekistan, has stopped all however one among his 12 opponents since turning professional in 2021. Just one fighter has made it previous the fifth spherical towards the 25-year-old, journeyman Balam Hernandez Acosta. The Mexican was stopped within the eighth and last spherical in December. Kholmatov defeated two then-unbeaten opponents in his earlier two fights, simply outpointing Andranik Grigorian and stopping Thomas Patrick Ward within the fifth. Kholmatov fights out of Hollywood, Florida. Ford additionally was a profitable novice in his nation, america. The 24-year-old southpaw from Camden, New Jersey, is a wonderful technician with distinctive pace and athleticism. And he’s farther alongside than Kholmatov in his professional profession, having already fought a former world titleholder. He defeated Jessie Magdaleno by a one-sided determination in his most-recent bout, final April. Ford didn’t beat solely Aaron Perez, towards whom he fought to a attract 2021. Kholmatov and Ford are ranked Nos. 1 and a pair of by the WBA, respectively.
