[6] Mamai sought to punish Dmitri Ivanovich of Moscow (who had not yet received his nickname Donskoy) for refusing to pay the tribute.

The Russians' formation was in the shape of a bow with Donskoy leading the center and the flanks under the command of Timofey Velyaminov and Andrei of Polotsk.

It had a big psychological effect before the famous Battle of Kulikovo because it demonstrated the vulnerability of the Tatar cavalry which was unable to overcome tough resistance or withstand determined counter-attacks.

For Mamai, the defeat of Vozha meant a direct challenge by Dmitry which caused him to start a new unsuccessful campaign two years later.

Azovtsev, in his 2021 book «Боище, иже на Воже»: от бывальщины к небылице ("Boishche, izhe na Vozhe": from a true story to a fable),[8] after analyzing the main primary source on the battle, Повесть о битве на реке Воже, as well as other chronicles, questions whether such a battle ever took place.