Otabek Kholmatov: Ford lacks power and won’t survive the later rounds

Otabek Kholmatov claims to be the best fighter at 126 pounds.

That comment may be a stretch, considering the talent in the division, but Kholmatov believes no one can match his talent, skill-set, or power.

Kholmatov will face Raymond Ford Saturday night at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York. The 12-round bout will take place after the clash between IBF featherweight titleholder Luis Lopez of Mexico and Japan’s Reiya Abe.

Both fights will stream live on ESPN+ (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT).

At Friday’s weigh-in, Kholmatov weighed in at 125.8 pounds. Ford came in at 125.9 pounds.

Kholmatov (12-0, 11 knockouts), who is originally is from Sirdaryo, Uzbekistan and now resides in Hollywood, Florida, won a WBA world title elimination bout on March 25, dropping Thomas Patrick Ward three times en route to a fifth-round knockout win. In his last bout on December 9, a stay-bust fight, Kholmatov stopped journeyman Balam Hernandez Acosta in the eighth round.

The fight between Kholmatov and Ford is a compelling clash. Both are unbeaten and have looked impressive in recent fights.

Ford (14-0-1, 7 KOs), who resides in Camden, New Jersey, scored an impressive one-sided victory over former world titleholder Jessie Magdaleno and scored a knockout victory over once-beaten Sakaria Lukas. Despite being the slight underdog, Ford could still be a difficult challenge, but Kholmatov is confident Ford is in over his head.

“I am more motivated than ever, as this is my first world title fight,” Kholmatov told The Ring Thursday through interpreter and co-promoter Svyatoslav ‘Stan’ Mangushev. “I believe that I will soon fight for a unified and undisputed championship.

“Ford lacks power and won’t be able to survive the later rounds. It will be a brutal knockout. I know he’s very scared of my skills and power.”

The 25-year-old has fought all over the world, including win over Hernandez, which took place on a card in rural Mexican state of Guanajuato. Kholmatov has also fought in Colombia and the Dominican Republic. The win over Ward took place in Newcastle, England.

Kholmatov’s accomplishments have not gone unnoticed as he recently signed a co-promotional deal with Top Rank, which is promoting Saturday’s card.

Ironically, Top Rank promotes some of the top featherweights in boxing, including Lopez and Robeisy Ramirez, who recently lost the WBO world title to Rafael Espinoza. Kholmatov is confident a win over Ford, along with being co-promoted by Top Rank, will lead to fights against other top featherweights in the division.

“Top Rank is the No. 1 promotional company in the world,” said Kholmatov, who is now co-trained by brothers Joel and Antonio Diaz. “I’m very glad my promoter (Mangushev), with Undisputed Boxing Championship, and my manager Alex Vaysfeld, secured this co-promotional deal with Top Rank.”

A statement win over Ford could put Kholmatov amongst the elite fighters at 126 pounds. Kholmatov is currently not rated by The Ring, but that can change.

Kholmatov is still vocal about not facing Leigh Wood, who relinquished the WBA title in October. He hopes to face the best in the division or the other world titleholders, but he believes they should all be considered the underdogs, should a fight take place against him.

“I’m ready to fight any champion. But even they are afraid to fight me. Wood vacated his world title because of me.

“I’m the best boxer in the division. My goal is to unify and move up and become a champion in four weight division. You will see very soon that the whole world will know my name.”

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