Israil Madrimov will face Serhii Bohachuk this month in a 12-round bout on December 21st, then quickly return 63 days later to challenge Vergil Ortiz Jr. for his WBC interim middleweight title on February 22. Both matches are in Riyadh.
Running The Gauntlet
If former WBA 154-lb champion ‘Little GGG’ Madrimov (10-1, 7 KOs) makes it through these two fights, he will have faced Terence Crawford, Bohachuk and Ortiz Jr. in consecutive matches. This is a classic definition of running the gauntlet.
Going through a 12-round war with Bohachuk will be tough enough for Madrimov without getting cut or beaten. But returning two months later to challenge slugger Vergil Ortiz Jr. for the WBC 154-lb interim title, it will be a natural feat. But if anyone can do it, Madrimov can. It was over 350+ amateur matches and he was used to fighting often.
Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs) is a tough fighter who many felt was robbed of his last fight against Vergil Ortiz Jr. on August 10 in Las Vegas. He lost a 12 round majority decision to Ortiz Jr, and it was seen as a very controversial decision.
Lessons from Crawford
For Madrimov to beat Bohachuk, he needs to let his hands go a lot more than he did in his narrow 12 round unanimous decision loss to Terence Crawford on August 3rd. Madrymov used too many feints, showed too much respect to the 36-year-old Crawford and fought by not throwing enough.
Crawford-Madrimov statistics
Terence: 95 out of 433 for 22%
Madrimov: 84 out of 275 for 31%.
Just your average ‘Little GGG’ 22.9 punches thrown per round against Crawford, and that’s not enough to beat a fighter in his class. He can’t afford to do that against Bohachuk or Ortiz Jr. This is a miserable result.
The punches Madrimov threw were single-handed right hands, which landed effectively, but there was no follow-through. Madrimov had the strength, youth, size and technical skill advantage over Crawford, but he wasn’t flying enough. If he fights Bohatchuk like that, he’s going to struggle because this guy throws a lot of punches and has heavy hands.
The fact that Virgil Jr. chose not to give Bokhachuk a rematch is the ultimate form of respect, showing that he didn’t want a second helping of punishment handed out to him by the Ukrainian talent.
What if Madrimov falls?
There is no word on who His Excellency Turki Alalshikh has in store should “Little GGG” Madrimov be injured or too beaten up from the Bohachuk fight on December 21st to face Vergil Ortiz Jr on February 22nd. It would be disappointing for the fans if Madrimov has to be replaced Xander Zayas for Vergil Jr.’s fight.
Zayas (20-0, 12 KO) is much less fun to watch and is seen as a hype job created by Top Rank, who have matched him with opposition throughout his career. If Madrimov can’t fight Ortiz, hopefully a better replacement will be chosen, someone like Erislandy Lara or Erickson Lubin.
One of the best cards ever on February 22nd in Riyadh 🥊🔥#BigTime#Riyadh season pic.twitter.com/4jQEowMXvD
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) December 2, 2024
