Raymond Ford returned to action last Saturday, putting on a clinical performance to comprehensively outpoint Orlando Gonzalez in his first outing at 130 lbs.
The pair collided on the undercard of Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, with Ford ultimately claiming a unanimous decision victory after flooring his opponent early doors.
While the stoppage evaded him, the slick southpaw nonetheless reminded fans of his dazzling skills following his first professional defeat to Nick Ball earlier this year.
And so, with the former world champion now campaigning up at super featherweight, there appears to be plenty more lucrative opportunities ahead of him.
Raymond Ford targets IBF world title clash with Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez
Ford claimed his WBA world featherweight strap back in March, producing a stunning finish against Otabek Kholmatov – who was ahead on two judges’ scorecards – with just a few seconds left of the final round.
Shortly after, the American made the first defense of his trinket against Ball, losing a highly contentious split decision to the Brit.
The obvious solution, then, was to move up in weight, with the extra four lbs seemingly contributing to Ford’s more assertive performance over the weekend.
And now, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has expressed an interest in delivering another title shot for the 25-year-old.
Hearn is convinced that Anthony Cacace, who upset the odds against Joe Cordina back in May, will vacate his IBF crown in due course.
This would then lend itself to a clash between Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez and Masanori Rikiishi for the vacant belt, which Ford will undoubtedly be targeting next year.
Anthony Cacace could face Leigh Wood following Twitter poll
Of course, there is no guarantee that Cacace will vacate his title.
But still, judging by his recent Twitter poll, the Irishman is seemingly exploring alternative options to facing mandatory challenger Nunez.
Cacace presented three potential opponents, including Nunez and Vasyl Lomachenko, to his fans, with former world champion Leigh Wood ultimately receiving the lion’s share of the vote.
So now, with the 35-year-old keeping his cards close to his chest, a possible route towards becoming a two-division world champion remains up in the air for Ford.