Ray Ford is keeping his eyes on the prize.

Becoming a world champion was the sweetest feeling, but losing the WBA featherweight title to Nick Ball produced unimaginable pain. Beating Abraham Nova on Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia won’t erase that torment, but it’ll put Ford one step closer toward fighting for another world title.

The Camden, New Jersey native’s ultimate goal is to catch the attention of a current champion at 130 pounds. Ford doesn’t care who he fights for one of those straps, yet his name has been linked to Lamont Roach time and time again.

Distractions are real in boxing, but Ford (17-1-1, 8 KOs) refuses to get caught up in them. However, when asked if he could beat Roach, Ford gave a succinct and obvious answer.

“Yeah, for sure, definitely,” Ford told The Ring.

Roach-Ford didn’t seem like a fight that could happen anytime soon, but the vagarious nature of Roach’s rematch against Gervonta Davis might make it more realistic.

The 29-year-old Roach (25-1-2, 10 KOs) has been sitting around for months waiting to find out what will happen next. He is contractually bound to a second bout with Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs), who fought Roach to a controversial majority draw March 1 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Waiting for Davis to decide when he will fight again is starting to irk Roach.

He still holds the WBA 130-pound title and could opt to defend it. Roach could also remain in the lightweight division even if his 12-round, 135-pound rematch with Davis doesn’t take place.

Only Roach knows if he would consider fighting Ford, but the 26-year-old Ford hopes to get that opportunity. His relationship with Roach is different than most, yet that doesn’t mean he’ll take it easy on his good friend if they meet up.

“I’ll beat him,” Ford said while laughing. “That’s my boy, but I’ll beat him.”

Ford was scheduled to face former IBF junior lightweight champ Anthony Cacace on Saturday night in Riyadh. Nova (24-3-1, 17 KOs), of Albany, New York, replaced Cacace (24-1, 9 KOs) as Ford’s opponent last month because Cacace suffered a back injury while training.

The 12-round bout between Ford and Nova will be part of the Moses Itauma-Dillian Whyte undercard at ANB Arena. DAZN will distribute the Itauma-Whyte show on pay-per-view in the UK (£15.99; 5:45 p.m. BST) and the United States ($49.99; 12:45 p.m. ET).