Serhii Bohachuk says it’s a “joke” for former WBA junior middleweight champion Israel Madrimov that the fight was announced 63 days after their December 21 fight against Vergil Ortiz Jr. on February 22.
Ignored
Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs) thinks it’s presumptuous for Madrimov and his team to schedule a fight with Ortiz Jr. where the outcome of their December 21 battle is still undecided. Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) could suffer a loss or injury and will have to be removed from the February 22 card.
From Madrimov’s point of view, it is clear that he would not say no to the Honorable Turki Alalshikh when asked about his interest in fighting Vergil Jr. in his big Riyadh season. How could he say no? The money will be good, and he is not willing to refuse Turki. If the shoe was on the other foot and Bohachuk was the one Turki asked for, he probably would have agreed too.
It’s hard to ask Madrimov, 29, to defeat former WBC 154-lb interim champion Bohachuk, and finish the match unscathed. He might win, but what are the chances of him getting through without getting cut or taking a severe punishment that would require a long layoff.
The way Madrimov fought and lost to Terence Crawford on August 3, he will not beat Bohachuk. He tired against Crawford in the championship round and allowed the 37-year-old to work him down. Bohachuk is smaller, bigger, stronger, and has a better work rate than Crawford. If Madrimov can’t keep up with him, he will definitely lose.
“It’s a joke!”
“No, I’m being played with. They can say this after my fight with Madrimov, okay? Now I’m looking for my fight, and you know, for me it’s not serious,” said Serhii Bohachuk speaking to DAZN Boxing, regarding his December 21 opponent, Israel Madrimov, who was scheduled to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr. on February 22.
“You can plan for the future in war. No, it’s not football. It’s not another game. It’s boxing. One battle can change everything. I can change your job. For me, it’s not serious. It’s like joking, you know? It is a very difficult game. Here, you don’t know what’s going to happen in the next battle. No, it’s a joke,” said Bohachuk who sounded annoyed.
It’s understandable that Bohachuk felt slighted by Madrimov’s selection as Vergil Jr’s opponent ahead of their December 21 contest on the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2. Turki wanted the card to be announced to the public, and it made sense for Madrimov to be selected because he is coming off a high-profile fight against Crawford on August 3rd, which was very close.
That match received more attention than Bohachuk’s fight against Vergil Jr. for obvious reasons. Madrimov fought better in that fight than Bohachuk in his questionable loss. He came close to beating Crawford and maybe he could have let his hands go a little bit in rounds 10 to 12.
Bohachuk calls Madrimov vs Ortiz a joke 👀#Usyk2Fury | #RiyadhSeason | December 21, live on DAZN | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/aHhogchUuH
– DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 5, 2024
“We thought Serhii should have won by decision or at least retained his title, but Vergil is a great fighter,” said promoter Tom Loeffler at Fighthype, referring to Bohachuk’s extensive 12-round loss to Vergil Ortiz Jr. on August 10.
Bohachuk came close to beating Vergil but gave up the fight when he couldn’t adapt to the moves he used in the last three rounds. Ortiz Jr. he turned things around with his fist in the last half of the fight, and Bohachuk was just following him, barely visible.
“Madrimov fought hard against Terence Crawford. He is another great fighter in that division. There are a lot of great words that you can mix and match,” said Loeffler.
