Raymond Ford Seeks to Give Nick Ball a Floor Seat on Fight Night
Raymond “Savage” Ford (15-0-1, 8 KOs) returns to the ring on June 1 to make the first defense of the WBA featherweight title against England’s Nick Ball (19-0-1, 11 KOs) at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The champion feels the challenger will not make it to the final bell.
Ford versus Ball is a fight that’s a bit of a surprise. The defending champion has been open about wanting to move up to the junior lightweight division. But it’s clear that the fighter and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, had a couple of words, and the fighter had a change of heart.
It’s a relatively quick turnaround for Ford. He won the then-vacant WBA strap with a come-from-behind, dramatic twelfth-round stoppage over Otabek Kholmatov on March 2. At a press event to announce the matchup with Ball, the champion was short and sweet about his intentions on fight night while speaking to the boxing media.
“I’m going for the knockout.”
A CLASH OF STYLES
Savage is facing a Ball that is far from a pushover. The British challenger is coming off a bitter draw against reigning WBC 126-pound champion Rey Vargas on March 8. Many boxing observers felt Ball deserved the verdict on that evening.
The WBA champion is a slick boxer who showed power and toughness in his exciting win over Kholmatov. Ball has boundless energy and is constantly marching forward. He loves to use his physical strength to get in close quarters and punish fighters with a bevy of body punches.
The tenor of this matchup will be determined by who can establish tempo and set the tone. If Ford can establish the jab, put some hurt on Ball, and keep him at bay, he can find the range to land with power shots. But if the challenger can get inside, he will give the champion fits. Ford is confident he will be the boss on June 1 and do something that no one has ever done, which is to put Ball down and out for the count.
