HIGH-FLYING super-featherweight contender Raymond Ford has thrown down the gauntlet in pursuit of a shot at newly-crowned IBF world champion Eduardo Nunez.
The 26-year-old issued his challenge via social media just yesterday, shortly after Nunez, 28-1 (27 KOs), announced himself on the world scene with a unanimous decision victory over Masanori Rikiishi.
Their clash in Yokohama, Japan, delivered an enthralling spectacle for the most part, though an added layer of tenacity ultimately saw ‘Sugar’ take control down the stretch.
As a result, the 27-year-old was forced to kiss his flawless knockout streak goodbye while, at the same time, collecting his first major belt in the professional ranks.
Ford, 17-1-1 (8 KOs), meanwhile, has amassed two comfortable points victories since moving up to 130lbs, patiently waiting for another stab at world honours.
The slick southpaw claimed his WBA featherweight title last year, producing an awe-inspiring 12th-round finish against Otabek Kholmatov after trailing behind on the judges’ scorecards.
But following that, a razor-thin split decision defeat to Nick Ball saw Ford lose his black and gold strap, inspiring another title charge at super-featherweight.
As of now, ‘Savage’ occupies a lofty fifth-place ranking with the IBF, sitting just once spot behind leading contender Sultan Zaurbek.
But instead of waiting for a final eliminator of sorts, Ford looks to accelerate his title challenge and, in doing so, convince Nunez to select him for a voluntary defence.
With both fighters belonging to Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing stable, too, it should be a relatively straightforward dustup to make for later this year.
In any case, Ford wrote on an Instagram post yesterday: “Good performance [against Rikiishi] champ, now let’s give the people what they really want to see. Come [and] fight the best in the division.
“Kill all the [tune-up] talk and all that. Let’s get it on next! [Hearn and Matchroom] let’s make it happen.”
