Throwback fighter Israel Madrimov could appear in the main event of December 21st with his match against Serhii Bohachuk in Riyadh. This is a classic interpretation of the old-school style of former WBA 154-lb champion Madrimov.
Old School Grit
A 12-round junior middleweight bout between Madrimov and Bohachuk is on the rematch card for Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. It is interesting that the fans are more focused on this fight because Israel was added to the event on February 22. There are no top fighters who fight regularly, especially in difficult 50-50 matches.
Madrimov’s courage in showing this 63-day transition between wars is admirable. Too bad some fighters, like Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, won’t want to follow his lead.
Israel Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) attracted a lot of fans this week with his fight against WBC junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. on February 22. Former rookie Madrimov puts the Vergil fight and a big payday with that fight on the line by facing Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs) on December 21.
Vergil should be worried that Madrimov might get hurt or lose his fight with Bohachuk. If he needs a replacement, the likely choice for Ortiz Jr. is Xander Zayas on February 22. That fight won’t attract as many people because Xander, 22, has never fought a top-level fighter.
Madrimov vs Bohachuk: Preview
It goes without saying that Madrimov is beating Bohachuk because he caused major problems for Vergil in their fight last summer on August 10. The fans still strongly believe that Bohachuk deserves a win against Ortiz Jr. but he was given a raw deal by the Nevada judges in a 12-round majority decision at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.
Bohachuk’s work rate and strong power hurt Vergil, who was forced to punch in the later rounds because he was no match for him in the pocket. We had never seen Ortiz Jr. previously closed, and that opened our eyes. Still, Bohachuk looked like he did more than enough to earn the win, but again, the decision went to A-side fighter, Vergil.
Ortiz Jr. vs. Bohachuk Punch Statistics
– Bohachuk: 225 of 832 punches for 27%
– Vergil Jr: 265 of 747 for 35.5%
In Madrimov’s last fight, he came close to defeating Terence Crawford on August 3 and would have won if he had thrown more punches. He lit up Crawford with right hands all night and didn’t miss. In one round, Madrimov hit Crawford five times in a row with right hands without returning anything. The 37-year-old Nebraska native looked his age.
𝓣𝓲𝓓𝓼𝓼𝓼𝓼𝓮 @IsrailMadrimov#BohachukMadrimov 💫 #OrtizMadrimov#RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/5BaYA6CeiM
– Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) December 3, 2024
