BoxRec

Top Rank wins Otabek Kholmatov vs Raymond Ford purse bid, targets February/March

Matchroom fell short in the purse bid by around $60,000

Raymond Ford’s bid for WBA featherweight gold will land on a rival network, as Top Rank outbid Matchroom $317,500 to $255,555.55 for the rights to his ordered clash with Otabek Kholmatov. The bout could land on February 16th in the States, February 17th in Riyadh, or March 2nd in Verona, NY.

Dan Rafael reports that Kholmatov (11-0, 10 KO) signed a promotional deal with Top Rank, though the organization has yet to send out a press release.

If that’s true, it’s cause for celebration. A Kholmatov win would leave Top Rank with three of the four featherweight titlists, clearing the path for potential unifications with Luis Alberto Lopez and Robeisy Ramirez. As others have pointed out, this also ensures a strong slate of challengers will be waiting for Inoue when/if “The Monster” runs the table at 122 and moves up.

More than that, Kholmatov is just a damn good fighter. He hasn’t gotten the promotional push of other Uzbeks like Murodjon Akhmadalev and Israil Madrimov, but last year’s mauling of Thomas Patrick Ward showed he’s just as dangerous.

That said, so is Ford (14-0-1, 7 KO), who’s been rock-solid in three fights since narrowly escaping Edward Vazquez last year. He thrashed Sakaria Lukas in eight before thoroughly overpowering Jessie Magdaleno in April, putting him in position for a crack at the belt after Leigh Wood vacated.

Even the Vazquez fight aged nicely after “Kid’s” recent near-upset of Joe Cordina.

This one’s worth looking forward to. Hopefully it’ll get the spotlight it deserves.

would be a nice fight, glad otabek got a big signing, he looks red hot. most of ford's career i havent been impressed - clearly has talent but wasnt putting it together at the same level - but he seems to have stepped it up recently

Confirmed

im jerkin a hard one to this card

Press Release

The featherweight division will take center stage in a high-octane world title doubleheader on Saturday, March 2 at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

In the main event, Uzbek phenom Otabek Kholmatov will fight Raymond Ford for the vacant WBA featherweight world title. This duel of unbeaten southpaws will see the WBA’s No.1 and No. 2 contenders making their inaugural world title appearances.

In the co-feature, Luis Alberto “El Venado” Lopez defends his IBF world crown against Japanese contender Reiya Abe.

Kholmatov-Ford & Lopez-Abe will headline a stacked card streaming live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+.

Promoted by Top Rank, tickets go on sale Thursday, December 21 at 10 a.m. ET and can be purchased at the Turning Stone Resort Casino Box Office, charge by phone by calling 800.771.7711, or online at Ticketmaster.com.

“Kholmatov and Ford are deserving challengers for the WBA world title. That is a true 50/50 fight,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Lopez believes he is the top featherweight in the world, and I know he’ll want to make a huge statement against a tough out in Abe. The fans at Turning Stone Resort Casino will be in for a real treat.”

Kholmatov (11-0, 10 KOs), a former international amateur champion, debuted as a pro in August 2021 and secured nine impressive victories before the year ended. The 25-year-old southpaw stepped up to face then-unbeaten Armenian Andranik Grigorian in March 2022, decisioning him after 12 dominant rounds. In his last fight, Kholmatov traveled to enemy territory to battle undefeated British contender Thomas Patrick Ward. The Uzbek powerhouse dropped Ward three times, forcing his corner to throw in the towel in the fifth round.

“This is the opportunity I have been waiting for, and I will be ready,” Kholmatov, said. “I have no doubt. On March 2, I will become the new WBA featherweight champion of the world.”

Ford (14-0-1, 7 KOs) was a two-time national Golden Gloves champion before entering the paid ranks in March 2019. In 15 pro fights, he has only had one blemish, a draw against then-unbeaten Aaron Perez in March 2021. Since then, the 24-year-old native of Camden, New Jersey, has gone 6-0 with three knockouts, including wins over undefeated prospects Edward Vazquez and Richard Medina, as well as a victory over former world champion Jessie Magdaleno. Ford dropped Magdaleno twice en route to a 12-round decision win.

Ford said, “I've been waiting so long for this fight, and I'm already tired of talking about it. I've worked my whole life to put myself in position for this opportunity, and I will be leaving that ring on March 2 as a world champion.”

Lopez (29-2, 16 KOs), the fighting pride of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, captured the IBF strap by dethroning Josh Warrington in his hometown of Leeds, England, last December. In May, the 30-year-old traveled to Belfast and beat hometown hero Michael Conlan via fifth-round TKO. Lopez defended his title against division mainstay Joet Gonzalez, emerging victorious via unanimous decision after 12 hard-fought rounds in September.

Lopez said, “My team and I are focused on Reiya Abe. I’m going to make my third title defense on March 2, and we’ll be focused on obtaining the victory and making a statement in order to get a unification fight against whomever is available.”

Abe (25-3-1, 10 KOs), the IBF No. 1 featherweight contender, suffered a few early-career setbacks before a breakout performance against then-undefeated Ren Sasaki in October 2020. The 30-year-old southpaw is unbeaten in five bouts since the Sasaki triumph. Abe captured his first regional title with a decision win over Hinata Maruta in May 2022 and defended it against Jinki Maeda seven months later. He is coming off a points victory in a world title eliminator against former two-division world champion Kiko Martinez.

Abe said, “I am traveling a long way to fulfill my dream of becoming champion of the world. Lopez is a tough opponent, and I will give it my all to bring a world title home to Japan.”

Press Release | Undercard Information

Following three impressive victories in 2023, welterweight standout Brian Norman Jr. is gearing up for a breakthrough year.

Norman will defend his WBO International title against Janelson Bocachica in a 10-rounder on Saturday, March 2 at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. Norman-Bocachica joins a stacked undercard that will be headlined by the vacant WBA featherweight world title showdown between Uzbek phenom Otabek Kholmatov and American contender Raymond Ford.

In the co-feature, Mexico’s Luis Alberto “El Venado” Lopez defends his IBF crown against Japanese upstart Reiya Abe.

Kholmatov-Ford, Lopez-Abe and undercard fights will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+.

Norman (25-0, 19 KOs) made his pro debut in January 2018 and went 11-0 in his first year in the paid ranks. In 2021, he fought four times, including a first-round TKO against Roque Agustin Junco that December. After a year-long layoff, Norman regained his momentum in 2023 by tallying eight-round decisions against Rodrigo Coria in January and Jesus Perez in May before capturing his first regional title against Quinton Randall in November. Bocachica (17-2-1, 11 KOs) went 16-0 before handing Mark Reyes Jr. his first pro defeat in February 2021. Since then, he's been involved in several close contests, including a narrow decision loss to Alberto Palmetta last November.

The undercard will showcase a variety of emerging talents from the Top Rank roster, as well as the return of a home region hero:

Undefeated U.S. Olympic silver medalist Duke Ragan (9-0, 1 KO) will see action in an eight-round featherweight clash against Colombia’s Brandon Valdes (15-4, 7 KOs). Ragan signed with Top Rank in August 2020 and fought four times as a pro before capturing the silver medal in Tokyo. He then continued his career in the paid ranks in 2022 by scoring four additional victories. The Cincinnati native toughed out a split decision victory against Jose Perez last October.

In a battle of undefeated junior welterweights, Dominican Olympian Rohan Polanco (11-0, 7 KOs) will lock horns against Tarik Zaina (13-0-1, 8 KOs). Polanco conquered a trio of stiff tests last year, each with only one career loss. He decisioned Ricardo Quiroz in April and earned stoppages against Cesar Francis in July and Keith Hunter in December. Zaina aims to build off his biggest triumph yet, a unanimous decision win over Argentine contender Marcelino Lopez.

U.S. Olympian Troy Isley (11-0, 4 KOs) will face Marcos Hernandez (16-6-2, 3 KOs) in an eight-round middleweight bout. The 25-year-old looks to build off a successful 2023, including a unanimous decision verdict over Mexican veteran Vladimir Hernandez in November.

Heavyweight prospect Brandon Moore (13-0, 8 KOs) takes on Helaman Olguin (9-6-1, 4 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Moore returns following his Top Rank debut in November, an eight-round decision over Robert Simms.

Floyd Diaz (10-0, 3 KOs) puts his unbeaten record on the line in an eight-round bantamweight tilt against the upset-minded Puerto Rican Edwin Rodriguez (12-7-2, 5 KOs). Diaz decisioned once-beaten Max Ornelas for a regional title in November.

Middleweight prospect Nico Ali Walsh (9-1, 5 KOs) will make his 2024 debut in a six-rounder against an opponent to be named. The grandson of “The Greatest” starts his 2024 following a points triumph over Noel Lafargue last December in Conakry, Guinea.

Junior welterweight prospect Bryce Mills (14-1, 5 KOs), who hails from nearby Liverpool, New York, will square off against Gerffred Ngayot (6-1, 5 KOs) in a six-rounder.

love this card

Fight Week!!

Press Release

Top Rank Boxing on ESPN presented by AutoZone: Kholmatov vs. Ford will be presented live this Saturday, March 2, at approximately 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT, exclusively on ESPN+. The event takes place at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

In the main event, Uzbek phenom Otabek Kholmatov will fight Raymond Ford for the vacant WBA featherweight world title. This duel of unbeaten southpaws will see the WBA’s No.1 and No. 2 contenders making their inaugural world title appearances.

Kholmatov (12-0, 11 KOs), a former international amateur champion, debuted as a pro in August 2021 and secured nine impressive victories before the year ended. Last March, Kholmatov traveled to enemy territory to battle undefeated British contender Thomas Patrick Ward. The Uzbek powerhouse dropped Ward three times, forcing his corner to throw in the towel in the fifth round.

Ford (14-0-1, 7 KOs) was a two-time national Golden Gloves champion before entering the paid ranks in March 2019. In fifteen pro fights, he has only had one blemish, a draw against then-unbeaten Aaron Perez in March 2021. Since then, the 24-year-old native of Camden, New Jersey, has gone 6-0 with three knockouts, including wins over undefeated prospects Edward Vazquez and Richard Medina, as well as a victory over former world champion Jessie Magdaleno.

In the co-feature, Luis Alberto “Venado” Lopez defends his IBF world crown against Japanese contender Reiya Abe.

Lopez (29-2, 16 KOs), the fighting pride of Mexicali, Mexico, captured the IBF strap by dethroning Josh Warrington in his hometown of Leeds, England, last December. In May, the 30-year-old traveled to Belfast and beat hometown hero Michael Conlan via fifth-round TKO. Lopez defended his title against division mainstay Joet Gonzalez, emerging victorious via unanimous decision after 12 hard-fought rounds in September.

Abe (25-3-1, 10 KOs), the IBF No. 1 featherweight contender, suffered a few early-career setbacks before a breakout performance against then-undefeated Ren Sasaki in October 2020. The 30-year-old southpaw is unbeaten in five bouts since the Sasaki triumph. He is coming off a points victory in a world title eliminator against former two-division world champion Kiko Martinez.

Undercard action, including the returns of Dominican Olympian Rohan Polanco (11-0, 7 KOs) and Nico Ali Walsh (9-1, 5 KOs), begins at 5:20 p.m. ET/ 2:20 p.m. PT.

Calling the action will be ESPN’s Joe Tessitore, Hall of Famer Timothy Bradley, Jr., Mark Kriegel, and Bernardo Osuna.

Fight Night

Date: Saturday March 2, 2024
Location: The Armory - Minneapolis, MN
TV/Stream: ESPN+

Start Times
ESPN+: 5 pm ET | 2 pm PT | 10 pm GMT (Preliminary Card)
ESPN+: 9 pm ET | 6 pm PT (Main Card)
Sky Sports: 1 am GMT (Main Card)

Promoted by: Top Rank Inc.

Fight Card

Vacant WBA Featherweight Championship
Otabek Kholmatov vs. Raymond Ford

IBF Featherweight Championship
Luis Alberto Lopez vs. Reiya Abe

WBO International Welterweight Championship
Brian Norman Jr. vs. Janelson Figueroa Bocachica

8 Round Super Lightweight Bout
Rohan Polanco vs. Tarik Zaina

8 Round Middleweight Bout
Troy Isley vs. Marcos Hernandez

8 Round Heavyweight Bout
Brandon Moore vs. Helaman Olguin

8 Round Bantamweight Bout
Floyd Diaz vs. Edwin Rodriguez

6 Round Middleweight Bout
Nico Ali Walsh vs. Luke Iannuccilli

6 Round Super Lightweight Bout
Bryce Mills vs. Gerffred Ngayot

Decent double header here

floyd diaz looks well schooled with a good mix of shots, but not much power or particularly quick either. will need to rely on those skillz

troy isley vs veteran marco hernandez now

isley a relaxed fighter, only 4 stoppages in his 11 wins, but looks strong when in close and picks his shots well, very little waisted or low quality work from him. although it also leads to the question of will he be able to up the gears in a tougher fight....

with the shaved head, adonis physique, and some of his style, isley gives me vibes of a bigger, less hyper tim bradley

raymond ford looks nervous as hell entering the venue,....not always a bad thing if it's channeled right

isley, like diaz, not the fastest or hardest hitting, but very solid with the fundamentals and with a good mix of punches. isley working some decent combos too, ending with good body shots

all isley through 3. by all accounts his fight vs vlad hernandez was close, but havent seen that one yet. would like to see how he reacts to a tougher challenge

isley just cruisin in the 4th. easily winning, but again it does make you wonder how he'd do in a tough fight vs a high pace guy

more of the same ..... going into 7th

isley finally drops herrnandez with a right hand to the neck, hernandez up but fight waived. stoppage 7th troy isley

isley looks pretty solid, but it's bout time they gave him a 10 round co-feature vs someone more live and not a journeyman

14-1 bryce mills vs 6-1 geffrard nygaot, never seen either

bryce a former pro kickboxer

bryce a bit of a wild man in there. pressing really hard. getting tagged plenty, but able to rough geff up and push him back. bryce looks significantly bigger. not impressive but fun enough

when geff is moving he's outboxing bryce, but he keeps having spells where he lays in one place too long and bryce tees off. pretty well matched tbh, more entertaining than the previous 2 fights, albeit lower level

espn going way overboard on the corner cam tonight, last round they had it up almost all round. i want a big picture of the fight, not the trainers

Real crowd pleasers these two !