Both sides have agreed to a bout between Vergil Ortiz and Serhii Bohachuk, confirmed Bohachuk’s promoter, Tom Loeffler. However, whether it will take place on August 3 remains uncertain.
Ortiz was originally slated to face Tim Tszyu on August 3 in Los Angeles until Tszyu had to withdraw this week because the wound he suffered on his head from his March 30 bout with Sebastian Fundora had not healed in time. Speculation then grew about a potential fight with Bohachuk coming in as a replacement.
Ortiz (21-0, 21 KOs), 26, has won all his fights by knockout. This year, he has only fought two rounds, scoring a TKO over Fredrick Lawson in the first round and a knockout of Thomas Dulorme, also in the opening session.
Bohachuk (24-1, 23 KOs), 29, is coming off the biggest win of his career, defeating Brian Mendoza to become the WBC interim junior middleweight titleholder. Bohachuk’s March 30 unanimous decision victory over Mendoza was the first time he had gone the distance as a professional fighter.
“So we had agreed in principle,” said Loeffler. “We agreed to fight Vergil. I know that Vergil’s side, they agreed between Rick Mirigian [Ortiz’s manager] and Golden Boy, they had agreed.”
The fight, however, is not yet listed on the August 3 poster for the Riyadh Season event at the BMO Stadium. Loeffler indicated that might be due to those behind the scenes involved with Riyadh Season, a Saudi-backed state-funded sports and entertainment endeavor.
“I think it hit a speed bump with the people actually running the show and the Saudis,” said Loeffler. “So I’m not sure the status of that, but both sides definitely agreed. If it doesn’t happen on that show, I think it’s such a great fight that we’re going to look for a different show to put it on.”
Loeffler sees potential for an exciting Southern California rivalry between the two top fighters, which could create an interesting cultural dynamic for the bout.
“When Tim Tszyu was determined that he wasn’t able to fight on that show, and Golden Boy was looking for a different opponent, Serhii was a natural choice,” said Loeffler. “Trained by Manny Robles here in Los Angeles, and Ortiz trained by Robert Garcia in Los Angeles, that, to me, is probably even better than the Tim Tszyu fight as far as a Los Angeles-based fight.”
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