RAYMOND Ford has promised to, at times, go toe-to-toe with Abraham Nova, sacrificing several of his own advantages in order to make a sizable statement next Saturday.
The pair will square off in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where, while featuring on the undercard of Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte, their styles should make for an absorbing super-featherweight encounter.
Ford, 17-1-1 (8 KOs), was, of course, supposed to face Anthony Cacace, before a back injury to the former world champion ultimately saw Nova, 24-3-1 (17 KOs), step in as a solid replacement.
And while, by his own admission, the American was set to receive a lucrative purse for that fight, he now insists that a clash with the Irishman would have otherwise offered him very little value.
“He [Cacace] makes too many mistakes, and the people he’s been fighting are either washed up or just don’t got it no more,” Ford told Boxing News. “I feel like he’s been getting too much credit for what he’s been doing.
“I ain’t gonna revisit that fight. There was a lot of crazy money that they offered me but, now, I don’t really care to fight Cacace, and never really cared to fight him before [he pulled out].”
Nova, on the other hand, represents a more appealing opponent for Ford, who hopes to outshine his rival, WBC world champion O’Shaquie Foster, with a particularly one-sided display.
Foster edged a tightly-contested split decision against Nova early last year, not long before Ford claimed his WBA world featherweight title with a truly awe-inspiring 12th-round finish over Otabek Kholmatov.
The 26-year-old then lost his black and gold strap to Nick Ball shortly after, but has since amassed two victories at 130lbs while, more importantly, voicing his desire to become a two-division world champion.
Before that, though, Ford must first come through Nova, a physically imposing operator who, while not possessing the same technical tricks as ‘Savage’, knows exactly how to drag his opponents deep into the hurt locker.
“I’m more motivated for this fight, because he [Nova] gave O’Shaquie Foster a tough fight,” Ford said.
“In every fight, you’ve got to stay mentally focused and locked in but, with [Nova], it’s going to be especially important.
“He’s got some physical advantages, but my IQ is so much higher than his that none of [those physical advantages] should even be a factor in this fight.
“I don’t feel like I need to but, in this fight, I would like to get into the trenches with him, just whenever I feel like it. There’ll definitely be things that I can take advantage of.”
While a world title shot, especially against Foster, would take priority over anything else, Ford remains convinced that, even with a win over Nova, he would likely struggle to secure any meaningful opportunities.
At the same time, though, the Camden man firmly believes that he will, eventually, make his mark on the super-featherweight division, before moving up to 135lbs on his own terms.
“I can’t say that I’m going to have a world title shot right after this fight [against Nova], but I also don’t feel like I’ve got to move up to lightweight to get those opportunities,” he said.
“I’m going to move up to lightweight in my own time, and not let these dudes be the reason for me to move up.
“I’m just going to put myself in a position where they [the world champions] have no choice but to fight me.”
