Raymond Ford will try and win one other world title belt, however in a distinct weight class.
Ford will face Orlando Gonzalez on November 9, promoter Eddie Hearn introduced Friday. The ten-round bout will happen at Wells Fargo Enviornment and can precede the primary occasion bout between IBF world welterweight titleholder Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and Karen Chukhadzhian.
Additionally happening on the Matchroom Boxing card, Jesse Rodriguez will defend his Ring Journal junior bantamweight championship and WBC world title belt in opposition to Pedro Guevara.
All three fights will stream reside on DAZN.
“World featherweight champion @raysavage856 makes his transfer to 130 lbs in Philly!” Eddie Hearn said in a put up to social media platforms. “‘The Savage’ and Two Kings …. on a monster present in Philadelphia, Nov 9.”
Ford (15-1, 8 knockouts) will combat earlier than a partisan crowd as he resides in Camden, New Jersey, which is throughout the Delaware River from Philadelphia.
The 25-year-old southpaw gained the WBA world featherweight title on March 2, rallying from an early deficit to cease Otabek Kholmatov within the last spherical. Coming into the ultimate spherical, Ford was down 106-103 on two of the judges’ scorecards.
Ford turned the primary American-born fighter signed out of the amateurs to win a world title below the Matchroom Boxing banner. Ford and tremendous middleweight contender Diego Pacheco had been Matchroom Boxing’s first two American home-grown signings straight out of the beginner ranks.
In his first try at defending the WBA featherweight title, which befell on June 1, Ford misplaced by break up resolution to Nick Ball.
The transfer as much as 130 kilos ought to come as no shock, as Ford had been considering a transfer up a weight class from featherweight as not too long ago as after the knockout win over Kholmatov.
Gonzalez (23-2, 13 KOs), who resides in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, final fought on June 28 in a stay-busy combat, stopping gatekeeper Jose Santos Gonzalez after spherical three. In his earlier combat on November 29, the southpaw Gonzalez gained by break up resolution over Jorge Castaneda.
The 29-year-old has fought his final three fights below the ProBox TV banner. He’s an older cousin of unbeaten junior light-weight Henry Lebron and has gained his final 5 bouts since dropping to Misael Lopez in September 2022.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has coated boxing in Southern California and overseas since 2000. Francisco additionally covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He may be reached at [email protected]
Comply with @FSalazarBoxing
