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.

Before getting back into the win column on June 7 with a third-round stoppage of German Ivan Meraz, Nova was 0-2-1 in his previous three fights. The two defeats were a narrow split decision to WBC junior lightweight champion O’Shaquie Foster and a unanimous decision to undefeated contender Andres Cortes.

Three consecutive winless outings, including a 12-round split decision loss for world championship honours, is a rough place for anyone to be. Abraham Nova had already rebuilt once before and again returned from the wilderness in June, not knowing a short-notice assignment would come calling the following month on Saudi shores to face a former world champion seeking to carve out more legacy in another weight division.

"There's no fear [and] no doubt in me," Nova told . "I know a lot of people are calling me out and [saying] ‘Nova is not the same Nova. He's done, this, that and the third.’ We'll see on fight night if I'm done and I'm out."

Ford knows that staying idle on the sidelines, waiting for promises and good faith agreements to blossom isn't helpful.

"He damn there beat O'Shaquie Foster, and that's the guy I been calling out," Ford told The Ring recently. "It motivates me to go in there and really put a beating on Nova."

Abraham Nova is no Anthony Cacace, who withdrew from this fight through injury, but the show must go on. Given how he has fallen short previously, "El Super" must do something differently to trouble the younger man more than many not named Nick Ball have recently.

O'Shaquie Foster was offered this fight with Ford but declined, sources said. Foster was set to defend his WBC junior lightweight title vs. Stephen Fulton on Aug. 16 in Las Vegas, but the status of that fight is uncertain.