Vergil Ortiz and Serhii Bohachuk Agree in Principle to Fight

Both sides have agreed to a bout between Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Serhii Bohachuk, confirmed Bohachuk’s promoter, Tom Loeffler. However, no formal agreement or details are yet in place.

Ortiz was originally slated to face Tim Tszyu on Aug. 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.

“When Tim Tszyu was unable to compete against Vergil Ortiz on Aug. 3, both fighters and their camps agreed, but there were no terms agreed,” Loeffler said. “It wasn’t agreed on a particular show, there was no money negotiated – just both fight camps agreed.”

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 is not yet listed on the Aug. 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. But he emphasized that Ortiz-Bohachuk remains something less than a sure thing.

“It is a tremendous fight,” Loeffler said. “Hopefully we can make it. Nothing has been agreed to in terms of when or where, [or] if that is even going to happen.”

(Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story suggested that terms had been agreed to by both fighters’ sides. The story has since been updated to better clarify the details of the potential matchup.)