Raymond Ford saved his best for last.
The rising 126-pound star stopped Otabek Kholmatov with seven seconds remaining in the 12th and final round to win the vacant WBA title Saturday in Verona, New York.
Ford (15-0-1, 8 KOs) hurt Kholmatov (12-1, 11 KOs) with about 30 seconds left and then spent the next 20-plus seconds trying to finish him off.
The Uzbek went down to the canvas under a barrage of punches and a moment of wrestling but referee Charlie Fitch ruled that it was not a knockdown.
However, seconds later, with the shaky Kholmatov trying to run yet taking hard punches, Fitch stepped in and stopped the fight.
IN THE FINAL MOMENTS OF ROUND 12.
RAYMOND FORD HAS THE HEART OF A CHAMPION. pic.twitter.com/FH3Xv6ru8B
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) March 3, 2024
Ford reportedly was behind 106-103 on two of the three official cards, meaning he needed the stoppage or multiple knockdowns to win the fight. Ford was up 105-104 on the third card.
“My coach told me to bring that dog out,” Ford said afterward. “We knew we were coming into their territory. This wasn’t under our promotion. But we had to dig deep. The whole time in the corner, I kept telling myself, ‘I’m going to stop him.’ I felt him breaking down as the rounds went on.“I started off a little slow. I felt I didn’t really have the energy and the legs to be the sharper boxer I know I can be. That was due to a tough weight cut. So, this may be my last fight at 126. Then, we’ll go up to 130 and call out the champions there.“I knew I had to stop him. The rounds were too close. I just had to bring that dog out that my coaches were talking about. I always knew I had it in me. I come from a rough background. There’s nothing that can stop me. Ever.”
Both fighters took a lot of punishment in one of the most entertaining fights so far this year.
And, according to CompuBox, they landed a similar number of punches. Kholmatov outlanded Ford 200-182 overall and 120-102 in power punches.
Ford, 24, is from Camden, New Jersey.