Raymond Ford became the World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight champion of the world after defeating Otabek Kholmatov by technical knockout in the 12th round on Saturday night during one of the best fights of the year so far. 

The American was the star of the event held at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York. Ford made a great fight that led him to stop the Uzbek with only 7 seconds left in the fight and take the victory that made him monarch. 

The technical knockout was crucial, as the scorecards were 105-104, 103-106 and 103-106 at the time, which would have given the victory to Kholmatov if the fight had gone to the end. 

Ford found himself struggling, especially at the beginning of the fight when he received good combinations from his opponent and could not get the distance. However, he gradually found his way and started boxing forward, moving his body to avoid attacks and throwing hard punches that often managed to put Kholmatov in trouble. 

Ford’s courage led him to take command of the fight on many occasions. His hand speed was key to winning in several exchanges and his team’s motivation was more than evident every time he went to the corner. In the end he managed to connect a great combination that put Kholmatov in bad conditions and in the face of the punishment and the no response from the Uzbek, the referee decided to stop the fight. 

Ford won his first world title and reached 15 wins, while he has 1 draw and 8 knockouts. On his part, Kholmatov lost his unbeaten record and now has 12 wins, 1 loss and 11 knockouts.