Raymond Ford knew had to make it count since it would be his only shot at a featherweight title.

The unbeaten southpaw waited until the very end to make that dream come tru, in the most ‘Savage’ way possible.

A dramatic surge in the closing seconds saw Ford stop Otabek Kholmatov in the 12^th round round of their vacant WBA featherweight title fight. Ford trailed on two of the three official scorecards when a late rally forced referee Charlie Fitch to stop the contest at 2:53 of the 12^th and final round. Their instant classic saw Ford win his first major title atop an ESPN+ show Saturday evening at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

Ford barely made it to his corner before he fell to the floor, overcome with joy as he celebrated with his team. He was still numb to the point where the phrase “… and the new” belted out by ring announcer Mark Shunock went unnoticed as his arm was raised in victory.

“Honestly, I didn’t even hear him say it,” Ford admitted to ESPN’s Bernardo Osuna after the fight as he fought back tears of joy. “I was just so in the moment. This shit is a blessing, bro.”

Ford became the first home-grown U.S. fighter signed by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing to win a major title. He did so on a show promoted by Top Rank, who signed Uzbekistan’s Kholmatov prior to a purse bid which they won last November 27 to gain the rights to the vacant title fight.

A feel-‘em out session in the opening round gave way to an increase in action in the second.

Kholmatov—who is now based in Hollywood, Florida—found success with his long left hand over the top, while Ford was committed to the jab while he looked for opportunities to land to the body. Ford threw a three-punch combination but tripped over Kholmatov’s foot which left him off balance as he stumbled into the ropes.

Ford put his supreme boxing skills to good use in a mostly productive third round. The 24-year-old southpaw came forward and threw his jab and straight left hand with purpose. Kholmatov remained in the pocket, always in position for his left hand when he was presented with an opening for the weapon. It came late in the round, as Ford’s guard was dropped just low enough to take an overhand left to the temple.

The type of round Ford planned to enjoy in the third came to fruition in the fourth. He followed—to a tee—the modified game plan laid out by head trainer Freddy Anthony Rodriguez, who called for a more aggressive approach. Kholmatov briefly struggled to adapt as Ford’s cleaner punches outshone the heavier blows landed by the unbeaten Uzbek.

Kholmatov returned to his power game in the middle rounds. Ford was able to withstand any rally presented by his fellow undefeated southpaw and stuck to his assigned script to smartly press the action.

“I felt his power early and was like, ‘that’s it?’,” noted Ford. “That’s all you got? In my head I knew I had a better inside game than him.”

Ford enjoyed by far the best round for either fighter in the eighth. The drastic momentum shift began with a right jab, which jarred Kholmatov and caused him to extend his arms to steady himself on his bad left knee. Ford showed no fear as Kholamtov responded with a left hand mere seconds later. A left uppercut by Ford late in the round stunned Kholmatov, who was able to avoid additional punishment.

Kholmatov regained control in the ninth, a round that Ford perhaps let slip away after controlling the action. Kholmatov offered a classic one-two, his right jab and left hand enough to keep the fight at his desired distance. Ford was on the outside for the first time in the fight, a strategy that normally works for the young contender.

Ford followed a mobile Kholmatov around the ring in the tenth. He was outboxed, though by a relatively slim margin, for much of the round before his persistence paid off in the closing seconds. Kholmatov—who had swelling under his right eye—missed with a left hand and was wide open for a counter left and right hook by Ford inside the ten-second mark.

Kholmatov was wobbled by a left uppercut in the eleventh round. His momentum, however, caused him to pitch forward as his head clipped Ford’s left eye which immediately drew blood. Ford was unbothered by the wound, less so after referee Charlie Fitch correctly ruled that the wound was caused by an accidental foul. Kholmatov punched in. combination, but was rocked at the end of the round by a Ford right hook and left hand on the chin.

Still, Ford was down by identical scores of 106-103 on two of the three scorecards and led 105-104 on the dissenting card with just three minutes to go.

“My coach told me [to] bring that dog out,” Ford said of his come-from-behind victory. “We knew we was coming to their territory. We knew we were on their promotion and had to dig deep. I kept saying to myself, I’m gonna stop him.”

Kholmatov didn’t leave anything to chance, as he threw clean, straight combinations in the first minute of the final round. Ford tightened up his defense, flred a jab and immediately followed with a four-punch combination. Kholmatov missed with an overhand left and caught glove with a right hook.

Ford spent the final 90 seconds walking down Kholmatov, at one point daring him to come forward. He got his way and landed a sweeping right to Kholmatov’s midsection. Kholmatov attempted to box at range. Ford landed a right uppercut to send him into the ropes and then to the canvas. The sequence was ruled a slip, though it worked to Kholmatov’s detriment as he was denied the time to clear his head.

Ford immediately jumped on his hurt prey. An uppercut and right hook stunned Kholmatov, who turned his back as he fell into a corner. Ford landed one more left hand before Fitch stepped into end what became a Fight of the Year conversation.

“I started off a little slow, I felt like I didn’t have the legs to be the sharp boxer I know I can be,” stated Ford. “That was due to a tough weight cut. This may be my last fight at 126. So maybe we go up (to 130) and call out the champions out there.”

Compubox credited Kholmatov (12-1, 11 knockouts) with a 200-182 edge in total punches landed. Ford (15-0-1, 8 KOs) connected at a higher rate—30.4 percent, compared to 27.5 percent for Kholmatov.

The loss was the first for Kholmatov, who became the mandatory challenger exactly 52 weeks ago. He scored a fifth-round knockout of Thomas Patrick Ward in their March 4 title eliminator in Newcastle, England.

Kholmatov was unavailable for a post-fight interview as he was taken to a nearby hospital for observation.

Nottingham’s Leigh Wood (28-3, 17 KOs)—No. 1 at 126—just lost the WBA title to Mauricio Lara. He regained the belt in their May 27 rematch. One more defense followed, a seventh-round knockout of former IBF titlist Josh Warrington (31-3-1, 8 KOs; No. 7 at 126). He then agreed to vacate the title in lieu of a mandatory title defense versus Kholmatov.

Ford called for a fight versus the undefeated Uzbek long before he even knew the ultimate stakes. The sense was that it was the shortest path to a title at featherweight before he outgrew the division. Time slipped away in his one shot at the belt but he never lost faith.

“He was weakening,” Ford insisted. “I just had to (get the stoppage). The rounds was too close. My coach just told me bring that dog out. I always knew I had it in me. I come from a rough background, I knew nothing would stop me.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). 

Follow @JakeNDaBox

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