Connect with us

Boxing

Serhii Bohachuk-Vergil Ortiz Jr. Expected 154-pound clash scheduled for August 10 at Michelob ULTRA Arena

Published

on

Serhii Bohachuk and Vergil Ortiz Jr. were not the second’s first choice.

Yet their fight is somehow the best-case scenario for both sides.

Golden Boy Promotions and 360 Promotions have confirmed a tantalizing matchup between top junior middleweights, with Bohachuk risking his interim WBC 154-pound title at the top of the DAZN show on Aug. 10 at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas.

“Serhii has been through so much,” 360 Promotions founder Tom Loeffler told The Ring. “He endured the invasion of his country, while waiting for a visa to return to the United States. He was given special permission as a professional athlete to continue his boxing career.”

Bohachuck (24-1, 23 knockouts) has won six straight fights since a March 2021 knockout loss to Brandon Adams (24-3, 16 KOs), most notably a March 30 victory over Brian Mendoza that earned him the WBC secondary 154-pound title.

The fight was a compromise made by Bohachuk, No. 4 at 154 according to The Ring, who was originally scheduled to face Sebastian Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs). The lineup change resulted in Fundora facing and defeating Tim Tsyzu (24-1, 17 KOs), winning the WBO and vacant full WBC titles.

Bohachuk, a 29-year-old Ukrainian based in Los Angeles, has agreed to fight Mendoza for the interim title. The agreement included a stipulation that he would face the winner, but the WBC has yet to order the fight. Fundora, the No. 1 junior middleweight in The Ring, is reportedly scheduled to face former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) in the fall.

Ironically, Bohachuk got that chance when Tszyu was unable to make his scheduled fight with Ortiz (21-0, 21 KOs). Tszyu-Ortiz was scheduled to appear at the Riyadh Season show on Aug. 3 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. However, Tszyu was forced to withdraw from the Fundora fight due to an injury that did not heal in time to be cleared by doctors.

That led to Bohachuk risking his second title a week later by fighting Ortiz on a show promoted by Golden Boy.

“We are waiting for a substantial victory for Vergil Ortiz,” said Oscar De La Hoya, head of Golden Boy Promotions. “It’s a tough fight, a tough opponent. But it will be his first official world title fight.”

Ortiz was in line for a second welterweight title fight last summer, but withdrew days before a rescheduled July 8 challenge against WBA “Regular” champion Eimantas Stanionis.

The fallout from that setback kept Ortiz on the sidelines for all of 2023 and would remain inactive until August 2022. The 26-year-old from Grand Prairie, Texas, has made up for lost time by scoring two first-round knockouts this year.

Now comes the part where his team hopes that high risk will bring greater reward.

“I’m looking for Vergil Ortiz to be the next superstar in boxing,” insisted De La Hoya, a former six-division Hall of Fame champion. “He’s 21-0 with 21 knockouts. You don’t get there without the talent and the ability to be the best.”

Bohachuk is just on your doorstep.

“Serhii won the WBC interim title and now he can’t wait to defend it, fighting for Ukraine in the ring,” Loeffler said. “Vergil Ortiz is a very perilous opponent, but nothing will stop Serhiy from winning.”

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Boxing

Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC

Published

on

Badou Jack Rozicki Mikaelian WBC

The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).

If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.

“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”

29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.

Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.

“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”

Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.

The next move is Badou Jack’s.

Continue Reading

Boxing

Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years

Published

on

Floyd Mayweather 50-0

Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.

This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.

In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.

“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.

“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.

Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.

Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.

Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.

However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.

In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.

It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.

Continue Reading

Boxing

Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios

Published

on

Manny Pacquiao vs Barrios

WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.

Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”

WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.

Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.

As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.

However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.

Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.

Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.

Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending