Vergil Ortiz Jr. (22-0-0, 21 KOs) narrowly defeated Ukraine’s hard-hitting Serhii Bohachuk (24-2-0, 23 KOs) via a majority decision (113-113, 114-112, 114-112), earning him the WBC interim Super Welterweight title.
After the fight, boxing promoter Turki Alalshikh, who was ringside, doubled down on his plans to set up a super fight at 154 pounds between WBO interim champion Terence Crawford and WBC interim champion Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Ortiz’s Toughest Fight So Far
Vergil Ortiz Jr. has proven to be one of boxing’s most entertaining fighters, as the Texas native has displayed impressive pressure fighting and finishing ability throughout his young professional career.
However, the knockout machine Ortiz Jr. found himself in a tough spot against the towering Ukrainian pressure fighter Serhii Bohachuk, a familiar face from their past sparring sessions.
Bohachuk demanded this fight to happen. He was familiar with Ortiz Jr. through past sparring sessions and was convinced that he could give the young phenom his first professional loss.
For the first time in Vergil Ortiz Jr.’s career, he suffered not one but two knockdowns throughout this fiery twelve-round interim title bout.
In the opening round, Bohachuk landed a swift straight hand that sent Ortiz Jr. touching the canvas for the first time in his career. This knockdown was initially ruled a slip but was changed upon further review using the ringside replay system.
Bohachuk’s second knockdown of Ortiz Jr. came in the eighth round as Bohachuk snuck a tight left hook through Ortiz’s tight guard, surprising both the crowd and the undefeated phenom.
Ortiz Jr. showed great recovery ability after both knockdown sequences as he rose back to his feet almost instantaneously each time. He looked to get these moments back as he would respond with flurries of combination punching both instances.
These two 10-8 rounds proved crucial in closing the gap for the defending interim champion as Ortiz Jr. could notch the last couple of rounds to end the title fight.
The two pressure fighters sat inside the punching pocket, exchanging tight, thudding punches all night. Bohachuk looked to land straight punches down the middle, whereas Ortiz Jr. looked to emphasize shots to the body and clubbing hooks around Bohachuk’s guard.
After twelve hard-fought rounds, the judges’ scorecards gave the razor-close edge to Ortiz Jr.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. Calls out Terence Crawford
Boxing’s recent super fight supplier, Turki Alalshikh, attended Vergil Ortiz Jr.’s fight against Serhii Bohachuk, where he adamantly expressed his desire to make the long-awaited super fight with boxing’s current pound-for-pound king Terence Crawford.
Like Ortiz Jr., Crawford recently became interim champion at super welterweight via a closely contested decision versus a crafty European boxer in Israil Madrimov. Crawford was given the nod in this high-level title fight as the scorecards read (115-113, 116-112, 115-113).
If Turki Alalshikh successfully coordinates a deal between Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Terence Crawford, boxing fans would be in for one of the most anticipated fights in a long time.
Ortiz Jr. has been yearning for this colossal clash for over three years now, and it seems his patience may finally pay off as the stars align for this inevitable 154-pound showdown between two undefeated fighters.
Click here to watch Turki Alalshikh give his take on the close fight between Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Serhii Bohachuk, as well as the idea of Ortiz Jr. fighting Crawford. Footage via ‘Fight Hub TV’ on YouTube.
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