Bohachuk Fell Short against Ortiz Jr. Despite Two Knockdowns

Future High-Profile Bout for Bohachuk Possible in the Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury undercard

Serhii Bohachuk could potentially have a fight in the Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury undercard /

By Moses Ochieng

Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs) and Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) lived up to their pre-fight hype, producing a potential fight-of-the-year contender on August 10. The two relentlessly exchanged powerful blows for the full 12 rounds in their junior middleweight bout.

Bohachuk knocked Ortiz down twice, but despite the close nature of the fight, he didn't secure the win, as Ortiz edged out a majority decision and claimed Bohachuk's WBC interim 154-pound title. However, Bohachuk may get another major opportunity in his next bout, thanks to boxing influencer Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority.

“Serhii's star skyrocketed after this fight. I don't know why no one gave him a chance heading into this fight. He was a five-to-one underdog. It was great that Alalshikh was there in person to see how great of a performance Serhii put on. He also said that he thought Serhii won that fight, or at worst, it should have been a draw. He really liked Serhii. He came up to us after the fight and said that he wanted Serhii on a future show by the end of this year. It could definitely be on the December 21 show in Saudi Arabia. Serhii is ready to go. It would be great to have Serhii on the show, as his fellow Ukrainian heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk takes on Tyson Fury,” Bohachuk promoter Tom Loeffler and founder of 360 Promotions, said in media reports.

The 154-pound division is packed with top-tier talent, and with a victory over Brian Mendoza earlier this year, Bohachuk would be a worthy challenger among fighters like Terence Crawford, Israil Madrimov, Sebastian Fundora, Tim Tszyu, Erickson Lubin, Charles Conwell, Jesus Ramos, Bakhram Murtazaliev, Xander Zayas, Vito Mielnicki Jr., as well as inactive names like Errol Spence Jr., Jermell Charlo, Brian Castano, and Keith Thurman.

“The division is so hot and there are so many great matchups to be made. Serhii is in the top three to five in the division. Serhii has earned the right to fight any of the top names. The one thing with Serhii is that you are never going to see a boring fight,” Loeffler added.

 “There are definitely questions about the judging, and even the refereeing, which we needed instant replay to overturn a knockdown. I don't understand the mechanics of why it took so long to announce it to the corners. Overall, we're convinced that Serhii should have kept his title and that he should still be the champion. Serhii didn't lose the fight. It was at worst a draw, or winning by two points due to the two knockdowns. We're disappointed in the decision but happy with how Serhii fought. It was 12 rounds of non-stop punching, action, knockdowns, and controversy. We never take anything away from Vergil. It was a great performance by him and we give him credit. It's the leading candidate for the fight of the year,” Loeffler expressed.