The WBA has mandated Otabek Kholmatov and Raymond Ford to contest the recently relinquished WBA featherweight title formerly held by Leigh Wood. As the #1 and #2 contenders at 126 lbs, the WBA sought to promptly fill the void left by Wood’s move up to super featherweight.
These two fighters are now in an ideal position to capitalize on their hard work and compete for a world title, further propelling them toward potential greatness.
Uzbeki featherweight Otabek Kholmatov (11-0, 10 KO’s) has notably not claimed a title throughout his emerging career, but he has maintained an impressive unbeaten record, with his victory over British contender Thomas Patrick Ward (33-1-1, 5 KO’s) on March 4th standing out as a significant accomplishment.
In contrast, American Raymond Ford (14-0-1, 7 KO’s) has won the IBF North American title in the past but has yet to secure an opportunity to fight for a world title. Ford boasts several noteworthy wins, including victories over Edward Vazquez (15-2, 3 KO’s), who recently competed at super featherweight for the IBF title, and former world champion Jessie Magdaleno (29-2, 18 KO’s) earlier this year in April.
The teams of both fighters will need to reach an agreement during the 30-day negotiation period set by the WBA from November 3rd to December 3rd. If an agreement cannot be reached within this timeframe, the negotiations will proceed to a purse bid. In the event that one of the fighters pulls out of the purse bid, the WBA can seek another contender to vie for the WBA featherweight title.
Notably, the WBA has already indicated that the purse bid will set both fighters to earn 50% of the fight’s purse, reflecting the competitive 50-50 nature of the potential match. This suggests that there is no clear favorite or underdog in this contest.
The WBA’s decision is a follow-up to their earlier mandate in June, which had called for Leigh Wood (28-3, 17 KO’s) to face Otabek Kholmatov when Kholmatov was the #1 contender. Wood’s subsequent departure from the division led to the appointment of #2 contender Raymond Ford as the next viable challenger for the title.
