DARIUS Ford was a skilled bantamweight in the early 1980s when he turned professional. The stocky fighter came from a family known in Guyana for sublime fighting ability.His uncles Patrick and Reggie Ford were household names in the 1970s and ’80s. Patrick was the first Guyanese to fight for a world title while his cousin Winfield Braithwaite won Guyana’s only Commonwealth gold medal in boxing.

Darius Ford joined the professional ranks in December 1984 and made the perfect start by knocking out Andrew Williams in the first round. His second fight was staged on February 26, 1985 in Georgetown Guyana.
After six rounds, Ford remained undefeated as opponent Wayne Smith lost by unanimous decision.
Victories over Juan Bautista of the Dominican Republic and Anthony Williams of Barbados followed in April and May of that year respectively. In August Ford met Guyana’s pride and joy Michael Anthony Parris who five years earlier had won the country’s first Olympic medal.
Parris had no mercy on his younger opponent and lifted the Guyana bantamweight title with a TKO in round eight. Ford made another attempt at Parris in May 1986 but was adjudged the loser on points when the judges’ scores were tallied at the end of 12 rounds.
He subsequently moved to the United States of America and was defeated in both fights there. His record reads six victories and four defeats.