Serhii Bohachuk says it’s a “joke” for his next opponent, former WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov, to have a fight announced 63 days from his Dec. 21 fight against Vergil Ortiz Jr. on February 22.
It is overlooked
Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs) thinks it’s arrogant of Madrimov and his team to schedule the fight against Ortiz Jr. when the result of their December 21 match has yet to be determined. Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) could lose or get injured and should be pulled from the Feb. 22 card.
From Madrimov’s perspective, he obviously wasn’t going to say no to His Excellency Turki Alalshikh when asked about his interest in fighting Vergil Jr in his huge season in Riyadh. How could she say no? The money will be good, and he is not going to refuse Turki. If the shoe was on the other foot and Bohatchuk was what Turki asked for, he probably would have agreed as well.
It’s a tough ask for Madrimov, 29, to defeat former WBC 154-lb interim champion Bohachuk and come through the fight unscathed. He might win, but what are the chances of him getting through it without getting cut or taking a lot of heavy punishment that would require a long break.
The way Madrimov fought in his loss to Terence Crawford on Aug. 3, he won’t beat Bohachuk. He tired against Crawford in the championship rounds and allowed the 37-year-old to coach him. Bohachuk is younger, bigger, stronger and has a better work rate than Crawford. If Madrymov can’t follow him, he will surely lose.
“It’s a joke!”
“No, it’s funny to me. They can say talk about it after my Madrymov fight, okay? And now I’m looking for my fight, and you know, for me, it’s not serious,” Serhii Bohachuk told DAZN Boxing, reacting to his Dec. 21 opponent Israel Madrimov, who was scheduled to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr. on February 22.
“You can design the future in racing. No, it’s not football. It’s not another sport. It’s boxing. One match can change everything. I can change your career. It’s not serious for me. It’s like you’re joking, you know? It is a very serious sport. Here, you don’t know what happens in the next match. No, it’s a joke,” said an upset Bohachuk.
It’s understandable for Bohachuk to feel disappointed by the selection of Madrimov as Vergil Jr’s opponent ahead of their December 21 fight on the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2 card. Turki wanted the card announced to the public, and it made sense to pick Madrimov because she will be coming off a high-profile fight against Crawford on August 3, which was very close.
This match received more attention than the Bohachuk vs. Vergil Jr. match. for obvious reasons. Madrimov fought better in this match than Bohachuk in his dubious loss. He came close to beating Crawford and probably would have if he let his hands go a little more in rounds 10 to 12.
Bohachuk calls Madrimov vs Ortiz a joke 👀#Usyk2Fury | #Riyadh season | December 21, live on DAZN | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/aHhogchUuH
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 5, 2024
“We thought Serhii should have won a decision or at least retained his title, but Vergil is a great fighter,” promoter Tom Loeffler told Fighthype, speaking of Bohachuk’s controversial 12-round decision loss to Vergil Ortiz Jr. on August 10.
Bohachuk came close to beating Vergil, but let the fight slip away when he couldn’t adjust to the move he used in the last three rounds. Ortiz Jr. he switched things up with his boxing in the last quarter of the fight and Bohachuk was just going after him, not looking good.
“Madrymov put up a great fight against Terence Crawford. He is another great fighter in this division. There are so many great names you can put together,” Loeffler said.
