Featherweight contender Raymond Ford (14-0-1, 7 KOs) is days away from the biggest fight of his young career so far, and he is ready for the moment. “I’m expecting myself to do things I have never done before. Show things that I never knew I could do. This fight is going to bring the best out of me. This is the biggest moment of my career, so I have to be on point.”
It’s refreshing to hear a 24-year-old who is approaching a big moment in his career sound confident without any antics or pretending to be someone he clearly is not. Ford is from Camden, NJ, which isn’t one of the best places to grow up, yet he has used those experiences to motivate him to reach a position he’s long wanted: a world-title opportunity. “It would mean the world to me,” said Ford. “We (Camden, NJ) don’t have many world champions. Not many people from my city are doing great things, so winning a world title would mean a lot to me, my family, and the city.”
Although Ford has only been a pro for five years, a lot has changed between his debut and this upcoming world title shot in Verona, NY. One event that Ford admits has changed him into a more positive person is the birth of his daughter Malani. “It made me look at life differently. I’m happy that I have someone I can look forward to taking care of and someone to look up to me. Anytime I’m around her, she lights up the room and makes me happy. When I’m around her, I am more mature and positive.”
Along with things changing in his personal life over the last few years, Ford has evolved as a fighter both in and out of the ring. As Ford thinks about what the previous five years had been like for him, he admits that it took some time to get used to the cameras, the bright lights, and doing interviews, all things that come with being a fighter. Ford feels he’s ready, and Saturday night will be his moment.
As Ford gets through the fight week obligations, it’s hard to ignore that it’s been 11 months since he earned a unanimous decision over Jesse Magdaleno. You never want to see a boxer walk into a title fight with close to a year between bouts, but these are some of the challenges of being a fighter. Ford mentioned that he’s been in the gym the whole time, but nothing keeps you sharp like live fights, so he must get warmed up as quickly as possible when the bell rings for round one.
“This camp was just long. I’ve been in the gym since May (2023) with sparring and things like that. I never really took off. Once the fight got announced, I started locking in, and it’s been pretty much the same as my other camps.”
Regardless, Ford looks to impress and win his first world title on ESPN+ against Otabek Kholmatov (12-0, 11 KOs). With Ford’s name not being one of the most prominent within the division, it begs the question of what fans should expect when they tune in to see his fight. “Expect me to be explosive and fast like what you’ve seen before, but with some new tricks up my sleeve.” Can Ford put it all together and bring a world title back to Camden, NJ? We are just days away from finding out.
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