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 after their Dec. 21 bout against Vergil Ortiz Jr. on Feb. 22.
Overlooked
Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs) thinks it’s presumptuous for Madrimov and his team to schedule a fight against Ortiz Jr. when the outcome of their Dec. 21 fight is still undecided. Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) could lose or get injured and will have to be pulled from the February 22 card.
From Madrimov’s perspective, he clearly wasn’t going to say no to His Excellency Turki Alalshik when asked about his interest in fighting Virgil Jr. in his huge season in Riyadh. How could he say no? The money will be good, and Turki will not refuse. If the shoe was on the other foot and Bohachuk was the one Turki was looking for, he probably would have agreed too.
It’s a tough ask for Madrimov, 29, to beat former WBC interim 154lb champion Bohachuk and get through the bout unscathed. He might win, but what are the chances of him getting through it without getting cut or dishing out a very heavy penalty that would require a long layoff.
As Madrymov struggled 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 outplay him down the stretch. Bohachuk is younger, bigger, stronger and has better work than Crawford. If Madrimov can’t follow him, he will lose for sure.
“It’s a joke!”
“No, it’s a joke to me.” They can say they speak for this after my fight with Madrimov, 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 December 21 opponent, Israil Madrimov, who is scheduled to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr. February 22.
“In combat, you can plan for the future.” No, it’s not football. It’s not another sport. It’s boxing. One fight can change everything. I can change your career. It’s not serious for me. It’s like a joke, you know? It is a very serious sport. Here, you don’t know what happens in the next fight. No, it’s a joke,” said an upset Bohachuk.
It’s understandable that Bohachuk feels slighted by the selection of Madrymov as Vergil Jr’s opponent ahead of their December 21 contest at Tyson Fury vs. Alexander Usyk 2. Turki wanted the card to be announced to the public, and it made sense that Madrymov would be chosen as he is coming off a high-profile fight. profile against Crawford on August 3, which is was very close.
That match, for obvious reasons, received more attention than Bohachuk’s fight against Virgil Jr. Madrymov fought better in that fight than Bohachuk in his dubious loss. He came close to beating Crawford and probably would have if he let his hands loose a little more in rounds 10-12.
Bohachuk calls Madrimov vs. Ortiz a joke 👀#Usik2Furi | #RiadhSeason | December 21, live on DAZN | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/aHhogchUuH
— DAZN boxing (@DAZNBoking) December 5, 2024
“We thought Serhii should have won the decision or at least retained the title, but Vergil is a great fighter,” promoter Tom Loeffler told Fighthippe, referring to Bohachuk’s controversial 12-round majority decision loss to Vergil Ortiz Jr. August 10.
Bohachuk came close to defeating Virgil, but dropped the fight when he couldn’t adapt to the movement he used in the last three rounds. Ortiz Jr. changed things up by boxing in the last quarter of the fight and Bohachuk just followed him, not looking good.
“Madrymov fought very well against Terence Crawford. He’s another great fighter in that division. There are so many great names you can mix and match,” Loeffler said.
