By Declan Taylor
RAY FORD is willing to drop back down to featherweight to face Nick Ball at the Matchroom v Queensberry event on June 1.
Ford captured the WBA featherweight title in dramatic fashion recently, coming from behind on the scorecards to stop Otabek Kholmatov with just seven seconds left in the final round.
Despite struggling to make weight for his last fight, Ford is open to making the journey to 126lbs for the opportunity to fight Ball on the June 1 card in Riyadh, where Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren will go head to head.
Ford expressed, “If it’s a quick turnaround, I can make one more fight at featherweight. It has to be the right fight, make sense, and be worth it financially for me to make the weight again.”
“The Nick Ball fight is still a possibility. It would be my first time in Saudi Arabia and I look forward to that experience. Nick Ball is ranked above me for some reason, but I’d love to be the first to defeat him.”
“Being on the Matchroom v Frank Warren card would be great. It’s a good opportunity for me to get back in the ring, face another good opponent. It makes sense and I’m excited for the challenge.”
While hopes for a unification bout were dashed, with Ball’s WBC challenge ending in a controversial draw, Ford remains focused on defending his own title before moving up in weight.
Ford reflected on Ball’s fight, stating, “It was a close fight and could have gone either way. For me, defending my belt before moving up is important.”