Israil Madrimov will face Serhii Bohachuk this month in a 12-round fight on December 21st, then quickly return 63 days later to challenge Vergil Ortiz Jr. for his WBC interim junior middleweight title on February 22nd. Both fights are in Riyadh.
Running The Gauntlet
If the former WBA 154-lb champion ‘Little GGG’ Madrimov (10-1, 7 KOs) makes it through those two fights, he will have faced Terence Crawford, Bohachuk and Ortiz Jr. in consecutive fights. That is a classic definition of running the gauntlet.
Going through a 12-round war with Bohachuk will be hard enough for Madrimov without suffering a cut or getting beat. But to return two months later to challenge the slugger Vergil Ortiz Jr. for his WBC interim 154-lb title will be a physical feat. But if anyone can do it, Madrimov can. He had over 350+ amateur fights and was accustomed to fighting frequently.
Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs) is a tough fighter, who many felt was robbed in his last fight against Vergil Ortiz Jr. on August 10th in Las Vegas. He lost a 12-round majority decision to Ortiz Jr, and it was seen as a very controversial decision.
Lessons From Crawford
For Madrimov to defeat Bohachuk, he must let his hands go a lot more than he did in his narrow 12-round unanimous decision loss to Terence Crawford on August 3rd. Madrimov used too many feints, showed too much respect to the 36-year-old Crawford, and gave away the fight by not throwing enough.
Crawford vs. Madrimov punch stats
Terence: 95 of 433 for 22%
Madrimov: 84 of 275 for 31%.
‘Little GGG’ averaged only 22.9 punches thrown per round against Crawford, and that’s not enough to defeat a fighter of his class. He cannot afford to do that against Bohachuk or Ortiz Jr. That’s a miserable punch output.
The punches that Madrimov did throw were single shot right hands, which were landing effectively, but there was no follow-up. Madrimov had the power, youth, size, and technical skills advantage over Crawford but wasn’t throwing enough. If he fights like that against Bohachuk, he’ll get outworked because this guy throws a lot of punches, and he has heavy hands.
The fact that Vergil Jr. chose not to give Bohachuk a rematch is the highest form of respect, showing that he didn’t want a second helping of the punishment the Ukrainian talent dished out to him.
What If Madrimov Falls?
There’s no word about who His Excellency Turki Alalshikh has on standby in case ‘Little GGG’ Madrimov suffers an injury or is too beaten up from the Bohachuk fight on December 21st to face Vergil Ortiz Jr on February 22nd. It would be disappointing for the fans if Madrimov needs to be replaced by Xander Zayas for the Vergil Jr. fight.
Zayas (20-0, 12 KOs) is a lot less entertaining to watch, and he’s viewed as a hype job being created by Top Rank, who have matched him against fluff opposition his entire career. If Madrimov can’t fight Ortiz, hopefully, a better replacement opponent is chosen, someone like Erislandy Lara or Erickson Lubin.
One of the greatest cards ever on February 22 in Riyadh 🥊🔥#BigTime#RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/4jQEowMXvD
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) December 2, 2024
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