Serhii Bohachuk says it’s a “joke” for his next opponent former WBA junior Middleweight champion Israil Madrimov to have a fight announced 63 days from their December 21st match-up against Vergil Ortiz Jr. on February 22nd.
Overlooked
Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs) feels it’s presumptuous for Madrimov and his team to schedule the contest against Ortiz Jr. when the outcome of their December 21st fight still hasn’t been determined. Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) could lose or get injured and would need to be pulled from the February 22nd card.
From Madrimov’s perspective, he obviously wasn’t going to say no to His Excellency Turki Alalshikh when asked about his interest in fighting Vergil Jr. on his massive Riyadh Season. How could he say no? The money will be good, and he’s not about to refuse Turki. If the shoe was on the other foot and Bohachuk was the one Turki asked for, he’d have likely agreed as well.
It is a tough ask for Madrimov, 29, to defeat the former WBC interim 154-lb champion Bohachuk, and get through the match without suffering an injury. He might win, but what are the chances of coming through it without getting cut or taking a lot of heavy punishment that would require a long break.
The way Madrimov fought in his loss to Terence Crawford on August 3rd, he won’t beat Bohachuk. He got tired against Crawford in the championship rounds and allowed the 37-year-old to outwork him down the stretch. Bohachuk is younger, bigger, stronger, and possesses a better work rate than Crawford. If Madrimov can’t keep up with him, he’ll lose for sure.
“It’s a Joke!”
“No, it’s joking for me. They can say speak for this after my fight with Madrimov, okay? And now I search for my fight, and you know, for me, it’s not serious,” said Serhii Bohachuk to DAZN Boxing, reacting to his December 21st opponent, Israil Madrimov, scheduled to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr. on February 22nd.
“You can plan for the future in the fight. No, it’s not soccer. It’s not another sport. It’s boxing. One fight can change everything. I can change your career. For me, it’s not serious. It’s like joking, you know? It’s a very serious sport. Here, you don’t know what’s happening in the next fight. No, it’s a joke,” said an upset-sounding Bohachuk.
It’s understandable for Bohachuk to feel slighted by Madrimov’s selection as Vergil Jr’s opponent ahead of their December 21st contest on the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2 card. Turki wanted to have the card announced to the public, and it made sense for Madrimov to be chosen because he’s coming off a high-profile fight against Crawford on August 3rd, which was very close.
That match received more attention than Bohachuk’s fight against Vergil Jr. for obvious reasons. Madrimov fought better in that fight than Bohachuk did in his questionable loss. He came close to beating Crawford and probably would have if he’d let his hands go a little more in rounds 10 through 12.
Bohachuk calls Madrimov vs Ortiz a joke 👀#Usyk2Fury | #RiyadhSeason | December 21, live on DAZN | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/aHhogchUuH
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 5, 2024
“We thought Serhii should have won a decision or at least kept his title, but Vergil is a great fighter,” said promoter Tom Loeffler to Fighthype, talking about Bohachuk’s controversial 12-round majority decision loss to Vergil Ortiz Jr. on August 10th.
Bohachuk came close to beating Vergil but let the fight slip away when he failed to adjust to the movement that he used in the final three rounds. Ortiz Jr. switched things up by boxing in the final quarter of the fight, and Bohachuk was just following him around, not looking good.
“Madrimov put on a great fight against Terence Crawford. He’s another great fighter in that division. There are so many great names that you can mix and match,” said Loeffler.
Read the full article here
