Vergil Ortiz Jr. says he’s embracing being the B-side for his headliner against WBC interim junior middleweight champion Serhii Bohachuk this Saturday, August 10th, at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. The two fighters will battle live on DAZN, and the winner could potentially fight for a world title.
A Departure from Careful Matchmaking
It’s a big step up for Vergil Jr. to be fighting a talent like Bohachuk because he’s been facing exclusively second-tier opposition to build his record, and it’s a dramatic change for him to fight someone who has actual ability.
Ortiz Jr. (21-0, 21 KOs) has been spoiled by his promoters at Golden Boy, being matched against gimmes during his seven-year career, and he’s always been the heavy favorite against his opponents.
On Saturday, Vergil Jr. will be the B-side, challenging Bohachuk (24-1, 23 KOs), and the outcome is not as clear. Vergil Jr. could actually lose, which would wreck all the hard work that Golden Boy has put in with their careful matchmaking during his career.
They went a little overboard with the grooming and probably should have thrown Ortiz into the deep end of the three years ago to see if he could swim with the sharks.
A Stepping Stone to Bigger Fights
“I wouldn’t say this is a dream fight. This is a tough test that we have to get past to open up the doors to get the bigger fights,” said Vergil Ortiz Jr. to Golden Boy Boxing about his clash against WBC interim Junior middleweight champion Serhii Bohachuk this Saturday night.
Ortiz, 26, views this fight against Bohachuk as a stepping stone to put him in position to fight the winner of the clash between WBC junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora and Errol Spence.
If a match against Terence Crawford presents itself, Vergil Jr. wouldn’t say no because that one would pay well and put him in a position to become a star. Crawford didn’t look good in his debut at 154 last weekend, and age may be rearing its ugly head with the Nebraska native. If given the opportunity, Vergil Jr. could take advantage of that.
“This is a huge test. No,” said Vergil Jr. when asked if he’s looking past Bohachuk toward the champions at 154. That’s what I want,” said Ortiz about Bohachuk meeting him in the center of the ring to brawl on Saturday. I’m confident, and I know I’m going to be champion on August 10th.”
A Potential Setback for Golden Boy’s Prospect
A loss for Vergil Jr. would be a big setback for him because it’s taken him so long to get to this point. Golden Boy would need to rebuild him after a defeat to Bohachuk, and it’s unclear how long that would take.
If it’s a three-year job, Ortiz Jr. would miss out on some of the biggest money fights at 154, and the division’s landscape could look very different than it does today. If all the top guys move up in weight to 160, Vergil Jr. would be fighting no-name opposition after Golden Boy’s rebuilding of him has been completed.
“It’s kind of motivating. It puts it in perspective. I am the B-side. I embrace it,” said Ortiz Jr. about him being ‘the opponent’ for this fight against Bohachuk rather than A-side guy going up against a random fighter matched against him, which is how it’s been his entire career with him always being the favorite.
Vergil Jr. needs to get accustomed to being the B-side because if he wins this fight, he will be in that role against the Fundora-Spence winner or fighting Crawford. He hasn’t done enough with his career to be viewed as the star in those encounters.
“I need to show that I’m stronger and the best boxer in this division,” said Bohachuk.
Trading with Ortiz Jr. in the center of the ring would be a bold move by Bohachuk because he’s not equipped with the power to win that kind of fight. A better strategy would be to try to outbox Vergil Jr. if he’s confident of being given the decision by the judges.
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