Twenty rounds banked in a new weight class and just one round lost, according to one ringside judge, isn't a bad way to welcome yourself into the world scene at 130 pounds. Raymond Ford lacks the fearsome finishes whetting the appetite for bigger and more lucrative challenges, but takes solace knowing he's already done the hard yards in the division below.

It's not Anthony Cacace as first planned — reigning WBC champion O'Shaquie Foster wisely rejected a month's notice for his latest title defence — but on a month's notice there are worse options than Abraham Nova.

Despite being 1-2-1 in his last four, Nova represents Ford's most accomplished divisional challenge and enters this with a chip on his shoulder, keen to make up for previously missed opportunities against elite opposition. Ford-Nova was nearly made on a handful of occasions prior, and now they duel in the Saudi desert with an expensive carrot and exciting future prospects dangling for the victor.

We know Nova has plenty to gain and nothing to lose here, but how will Ford fare in his third appearance in nine months? The last time he was this active, he was on the verge of a world title shot — is he making a mistake by planning too far ahead and overlooking El Super here?

Last fight: A comfortable night's work, outboxing and outworking Thomas Mattice to the tune of three 100-90 scorecards on the Jaron Ennis-Eimantas Stanionis undercard in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on April 12. He didn't get a knockout, but seemed to accept midway through their 10-rounder that it wouldn't come against a risk-averse opponent invited into camp for sparring before this encounter.

Odds: An accomplished former world champion, enjoying encouraging form in his new weight class, Ford is a considerable favourite here — as short as 1/9 with some bookmakers, meaning you'd need to part with significant sums of money or add a specific method of victory to make this bet worthwhile.

How does Ford win: Invest in the body and pick up the pace. Ford connected on 47 punches downstairs against Mattice, one shot shy of double Mattice's total throughout their 30-minute matchup — tied for second-fewest in CompuBox history for a 10-round contest.

It's easier said than done at times against unwilling opposition, but the 26-year-old needs to practice cutting the ring off and disguising attacks across all angles when he feels in a good rhythm.

Gonzalez and Mattice may have lost but had never been stopped. Nova knows what it's like to be hurt — he's been dropped and stopped — so that could play into the younger man's favour, should they trade furiously at close range. He's not a small target to aim at either, which should work well as far as variety is concerned.

What it means if he wins: 3-0 in less than a year sounds quite handy, plus being active should earn him favour with the sanctioning bodies (No. 4 IBF, WBC, WBA and No. 5 WBO) in ways that sitting on the sidelines certainly wouldn't have.

Liam Wilson and Mark Magsayo pitched contrasting 10-round decision wins recently, while Ford's promotional stablemate Eduardo "Rocky" Hernandez and unbeaten Kazakh southpaw Sultan Zaurbek have been quiet after statement-making victories of their own in the first part of 2025. If he wins and does so in style, a final title eliminator wouldn't go amiss.

What they're saying: "At first I really didn't want to go, it's a long flight and different atmosphere there but now I look at it as, I've got something to make right. I've got to right that wrong, going over there and losing the first time, fighting Abraham Nova who had a good fight with one of the world champions. ... I've got extra motivation going this time, I'm excited for it.

"I've got to become the mandatory, go through all these things, even though I was already a world champion at the weight class before. We know I'm one of the best in the division but nobody wants to challenge themselves, they want tune-ups and home fights. I actually value this more than the Cacace fight, because he fought O'Shaquie,. I'm more motivated." — Ford

TV/Stream: Ford-Nova will feature as part of an Esports World Cup Fight Week six-fight bill and available to stream live on DAZN PPV. The event is priced at £19.99 in the United Kingdom, $19.99 in the United States, €19.99 across Europe and $39.99 in Australia.