Tommy Ward has had to wait, wait and wait in his boxing career as well as win, win and win.
But the undefeated 28-year-old’s wait could finally be over.
This Saturday the Co Durham star will tackle fellow unbeaten fighter Otabek Kholmatov in Newcastle in a final eliminator for the WBA world featherweight championship.
Ward is ranked first by the World Boxing Association after amassing a 33-0-1 record, while he sits third with the WBO and seventh with the IBF.
Twice in his career already he has appeared on the cusp of something big.
Exactly four years ago he produced a masterclass in America, where he beat fellow WBO-ranked prospect Jesse Angel Hernandez, while in December 2021, he was irresistible against Colombia’s Leonardo Padilla in a bout between boxers rated at 10 and five by the WBA.
This Saturday’s clash at the Utilita Arena with the 24-year-old KO specialist, from Uzbekistan, is something different.
“It’s the final eliminator so win this and I’m the mandatory challenger for the world title,” said Ward, whose patience to date matches his exceptional skill-set.
“I’ve been ranked in all four organisations for quite some time whether it’s been super-bantam and now featherweight without ever having had a chance.
“There have been a lot of people not as good as me who have been fighting for world titles and boxers who have had easier routes.
“It’s one of those things I guess.
“I was going to say it’s boxing, but it’s life, things don’t always go the way you want them to.”
While Ward has been forced to wait, Kholmatov has rocketed into contention from no-where.
His amateur career was hardly startling, though his CV includes a bronze medal at the World Youth Championships and a silver at the Asian Youth Championships.
However, it has been his whirlwind start as a professional, based in Hollywood, Florida, which has made waves, clocking up a 10-0 log in no time.
The southpaw saw off every one of his first nine opponents inside four rounds before outpointing his best opponent yet, Amenia’s Andranik Grigorian, over 10 rounds at Caribe Royale Orlando.
A new sensation or someone promoted too high, too soon?
We’ll find out on Saturday and Ward says no stone has been left unturned during his training camp in Hartlepool under coach Neil Fannan.
“Preparations with Neil are always hard but it’s all gone good,” the Dave Garside-managed boxer told punch-lines.
“Kholmatov is an unknown quantity but obviously he’s a good kid, he’s won all 10 and knocked out nine, and he’s been a good amateur.
“All the boxers from Uzbekistan are always well schooled, so he’s going to be good, but I’m good too.
“With him based in America it shows how good he must be that some backers there have taken him on.
“We are expecting a hard fight, but you don’t expect any easy ones in final eliminators for the world title.
“It’s going to be who’s best on the night.”
That line leads nicely into the other WBA final world title eliminator at the Utilita Arena, where the darling of the Geordie fighting nation, Lewis Ritson, faces Londoner Ohara Davies in an equally hard-to-call showdown between the fourth and second ranked light-welterweights or super-lightweights of you prefer.
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Tom Collins
