Vergil Ortiz Jr. realizes KO streak could end against Bohachuk

LOS ANGELES – All signs are showing that Saturday night’s slugfest between power-punching knockout artists Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Serhii Bohachuk will be a barnburner. 

Ortiz (21-0, 21 KOs) and the WBC interim junior middleweight titleholder Bohachuk (24-1, 23 KOs) will battle it out at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on DAZN, and the winner of the high-stakes matchup will be set for a big-time bout next time out. 

Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia, has taken a liking to Ortiz. Originally, he brokered a bout between Ortiz and Tim Tszyu but Tszyu was forced to pull out from their originally scheduled Aug. 3 matchup because the cut he suffered in a March loss against Sebastian Fundora was not healing properly.

Over the weekend, Alalshikh alluded that Ortiz could next fight Terence Crawford if he banks the win against Bohachuk. Meanwhile, Ortiz promoter Oscar De La Hoya said this week that revisiting the Tszyu matchup is the move to make.

“Crawford is the guy I want to fight the most, and I would love Errol Spence at Cowboys Stadium, too,” Ortiz told BoxingScene. “And if Jermell Charlo is ready to continue at 154, let’s do it. Hopefully the Bohachuk fight goes good and we get the fight with Tzsyu, too.

“I’m very excited for this fight [against Bohachuk]. This is going to be a good fight. I sparred Bohachuk before [for nearly 50 rounds] and he is a very tough opponent. This is the fight that I’ve been taking the most seriously.”

Ortiz’s grandiose plans will be laid to waste if he doesn’t land the victory against Bohachuk. The Texan has looked sensational since returning from a lengthy layoff due to health issues. The 26-year-old with the 100 per cent stoppage streak has scored back to back first-round knockouts of Frederick Lawson in January and Thomas Dulorme in April.

“Oh, fuck yeah, this has fight of the year potential,” said Ortiz. “I’ve been waiting for fights and opportunities like this. We had some setbacks, but I feel that we are better than ever now. This is the perfect fight to showcase it. 

“We always have the plan to go the full 12 rounds. I’m not going to be able to stop everybody. I wish I could, but the reality is that I will not be able to take everyone out, and this guy is most likely going to be that guy.”

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.