His Excellency Turki Alalshikh says he saw tonight’s fight between Vergil Ortiz Jr. and WBC interim junior middleweight champion Serhii Bohachuk as a draw, and he’d like to see a rematch. Turki was at the ringside of the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas for the Ortiz vs. Bohachuk fight.
After the fight, Turki Alalshikh was asked if he’d like to make the fight between newly crowned Vergil Jr. and Terence Crawford, and he said he’d like to see a rematch between Ortiz and Bohachuk. That makes sense because a second fight between them would be huge.
Moreover, it wouldn’t be good for Crawford to fight a tainted champion, Vergil Jr, who many fans on social media tonight felt he didn’t deserve the victory.
The judges gave Vergil (22-0, 21 KOs) the victory by a twelve-round majority decision, overlooking the two times he’d been knocked down by the champion Bohachuk. The judges’ scores were 113-113, 114-112, and 114-112. I watched the fight and saw Bohachuk win 7-5. It was close.
A draw would have been fair but not a win a win for Vergil Jr. That didn’t make sense, given how the fight played out. For the judges to give it to Vergil meant they overlooked the many rounds that Bohachuk had landed, scorching headshots and sending the challenger reeling.
“It was a great fight. I thought it was a draw. We want him for Crawford, but if he has a rematch in the future with this guy, it would be amazing,” said His Excellency Turki Alalshikh to Fight Hub TV when asked if he wants to make a fight between Vergil Ortz Jr. and Terence Crawford following Vergil’s victory over WBC interim junior middleweight champion Serhii Bohachuk tonight.
Rematch Likely, Crawford Fight on Hold
It looks like Vergil Jr. will have to fight Bohachuk again if he wants to have a chance to get the fight against Crawford. Given the amount of fan interest, there will be a rematch. It’s a great fight for the fans, and it would be good for Vergil if he’s not too beaten up from tonight’s clash. He had to go to the hospital after the fight.
“No, Crawford, we have a thought about it,” said Turki when asked if Crawford could face Vergil Jr. next and the winner to face Bohachuk. “Ortiz, we could support to have a rematch like this.”
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