Vergil Ortiz Jr. says he’s taking on the B-side role in the main event against interim WBC junior middleweight champion Serhiy Bohachuk this Saturday, August 10, at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. Both fighters will fight live on DAZN, with the winner potentially fighting for a world title.
Moving away from careful pairing
For Vergil Jr., fighting a fighter as talented as Bohachuk is a huge step forward, as he has only faced second-division opponents to improve his record, and fighting someone who is truly talented is a huge change for him.
Ortiz Jr. (21-0, 21 KOs) was spoiled by his promoters at Golden Boy, where he was matched with top fighters throughout his seven-year career and was always the clear favorite against his opponents.
Vergil Jr. will be the B-side on Saturday, challenging Bohachuk (24-1, 23 KOs), and the outcome is not as clear-cut. Vergil Jr. could lose, which would undo all the challenging work Golden Boy has put into carefully selecting the pairings throughout his career.
They went a little overboard with the grooming and probably should have thrown Ortiz into the deep end three years ago to see if he could swim with sharks.
A stepping stone to bigger fights
“I wouldn’t say it’s a dream fight. It’s a tough test that we have to pass to open the door to bigger fights,” Vergil Ortiz Jr. said. Golden Boy Boxing about his clash with interim WBC junior middleweight world champion Serhiy Bohachuk on Saturday night.
Ortiz, 26, sees the fight with Bohachuk as a stepping stone to a fight with the winner of WBC junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora vs. Errol Spence.
If the opportunity to fight Terence Crawford presents itself, Vergil Jr. wouldn’t say no, because it would pay off well for him and put him in a position to become a star. Crawford didn’t look good in his 154-pound debut last weekend, and age could be getting to the Nebraska native. If given the chance, Vergil Jr. could take advantage of it.
“It’s a huge test. No,” Vergil Jr. said when asked if he’s looking past Bohachuk to the 154-weight champions. “That’s what I want,” Ortiz said of Bohachuk meeting him in the middle of the ring for a fight Saturday. “I’m confident and I know I’m going to be the champion on Aug. 10.”
Potential setback for Golden Boy prospects
A loss to Vergil Jr. would be a huge setback for him, as it took him so long to get to this point. Golden Boy would have to rebuild him after the loss to Bohachuk, and there’s no telling how long that would take.
If this is a three-year job, Ortiz Jr. will miss out on some of the biggest money fights at 154, and the landscape of the division could look very different than it does today. If all the top guys move up to 160, Vergil Jr. will be fighting a no-name opponent once Golden Boy’s rebuild is complete.
“It’s kind of motivating. It puts it in perspective. I’m the B side. I accept that,” Ortiz Jr. said of being the “opponent” in this fight with Bohachuk, not the A side guy who’s going to face some random guy who’s been matched up with him, which has been true throughout his career, when he’s always been the favorite.
Vergil Jr. needs to get used to being the B-side, because if he wins this fight, he’ll be in that role against the Fundora-Spence winner or fighting Crawford. He hasn’t done enough in his career to be seen as a star in those fights.
“I have to show that I am stronger and that I am the best boxer in this division,” Bohachuk said.
Trading with Ortiz Jr. in the middle of the ring would be a bold move for Bohachuk, as he is not equipped with the power to win that kind of fight. A better strategy would be to try to outbox Vergil Jr. if he is confident the judges will make a decision.
World Boxing News brings you live results from the Usyk vs Fury 2 event with the unified heavyweight title at stake in Saudi Arabia.
Oleksandr Usyk defends his WBC, WBO and WBA belts as the Ukrainian fights for back-to-back wins over Tyson Fury. Fury was almost knocked out by Usyk in May and will seek revenge at the Kingdom Arena.
WBN will also score the main event based on a live scorecard from the first to the last bell.
Live scores of the Usyk-Fury match
Andriy Nowicki defeated Edgar Ramirez by unanimous decision. The score was 100-90 and 98-92 twice, and the Ukrainian moved to 14-0, 10 KOs.
Joshua Ocampo lost in the preliminary fight Muhammad Alakel who scored a unanimous decision to enhance it to 2-0.
Other attacks
MAIN EVENT: WBC WORLD, WBO WORLD, WBA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE – 12 ROUNDS Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury Shypyntsi, Ukraine Lancashire, UK 22-0 (14 KOs) 34-1-1 (24 KOs) 226 lbs 281 lbs
Airy middleweight fight (154 pounds) – 12 rounds Serhii Bohachuk vs. Ishmael Davis Vinnytsia, Ukraine, Yorkshire, UK 24-2 (23 KOs) 13-1 (6 KOs) 153.1 lbs 153.6 lbs
Heavyweight fight (201+ pounds) – 10 rounds Johnny Fisher vs. David Allen London, UK Yorkshire, UK 12-0 (11 KOs) 23-6, 18 KOs 241.1 lbs 257.6 lbs
INTERNATIONAL SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT COMPETITION – 10 ROUNDS Peter McGrail vs. Rhys Edwards 10-1 (6 KOs) / 16-0 (4 KOs) Liverpool, UK / Merseyside, UK 129.8 lbs / 129.1 lbs
Fight for the WBA CONTINENTAL USA featherweight title (130 pounds) – 10 ROUNDS Isaac Lowe vs. Lee McGregor Lancashire, UK Edinburgh, Scotland 25-2-3 (8 KOs) 14-1-1 (11 KOs) 125.1 lbs 125.9 lbs
WBA CONTINENTAL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS – 10 ROUNDS Dylan Colin Vs. Daniel Łapina Meurthe-et-Moselle, France / Wrocław, Poland 14-0 (4 KOs) / 10-0 (4 KOs)
Information about the Usyk vs Fury match on TV and PPV
Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch with Tyson Fury and the full undercard are available exclusively at DAZN Pay-Per-View (PPV) events worldwide. They cost £24.99 in the UK and $39.95 in the US and no DAZN subscription is required.
The PPV also includes a seven-day free trial of the entire DAZN platform. Usyk vs. Fury and all DAZN content can be watched anywhere, on any device via the DAZN app.
For more information and to purchase the fight, visit www.dazn.com.
Tyson Fury isn’t holding back on his desire for revenge against Oleksandr Usyk as the pair collided on Saturday night.
Fury aims to win the unified heavyweight title for the first time in nine years when he faces current champion Usyk six months after his first loss to the Ukrainian.
As the pair completed media formalities for the superfight, Fury made it clear how the fight would end.
“For the record, I’m going to absolutely annihilate this motherfucker on Saturday night. No pension. I will neat them all and he will be the first,” Fury assured.
Asked if he would try to do to Usyk what he did to Deontay Wilder in the rematch, Fury replied: “It was a long time ago” in reference to the 2020 knockout.
“[I’m] I’m not sure [if that Tyson Fury is there anymore]. Perhaps it has evaporated. Who knows? The legs may disappear. China may no longer exist. Boxing skills can be shot. We’ll find out on the 21st. That’s why you need to tune in to the pay-per-view on DAZN. Come and see whether the venerable dance master still understands it or not.
Referring to the training camp in Malta, Fury added: “[The] The weather is different, of course, but training is training, no matter where you are. These are very mundane, routine things. This happens again and again.
“For me, it doesn’t really matter where the camp is. I’ve attended camps in Vegas, Spain, everywhere, and I’m one of those people who doesn’t get distracted and gets the job done anyway. That’s what I do.
“If I were to train in a nightclub, I wouldn’t dance around the disco in the evening. I would just train.
Information about the Usyk vs Fury match
Former interim WBC 154-pound titleholder Serhii Bohachuk [24-2, 23 KOs] Now he will face British boxer Ishmael Davis [13-1, 6 KOs] in a 12-round super welterweight fight after Israil Madrimov was forced to withdraw due to illness.
Rising heavyweight star Moses Itauma [22-0, 10 KOs] and his opponent, Australian Demsey McKean (22-1, 14 KO), are ready to fight. Undefeated Johnny Fisher [12-0, 11 KOs[ squares off against former Commonwealth title challenger Dave Allen [23-6, 18 KOs].
Meanwhile, former Commonwealth Games gold medalist Peter McGrail [10-1, 6 KOs] takes over from Rhys Edwards at the last minute [16-0, 4 KOs] in a super featherweight fight. Isaac Lowe is also on the bill [25-2-3, 8 KOs[ will face Lee McGregor [14-1-1, 11 KOs] in a featherweight fight.
Daniel Lapin completes the card [10-0, 4 KOs]in which he will face another undefeated lightweight champion prospect, Dylan Colin [14-0, 4 KOs]and heavyweight knockout artist Andrii Novytskyi [14-0, 10 KOs] will face Edgar Ramirez [10-1-1, 4 KOs].
As is the tradition of the season, Riyad will feature local talent as Mohammed Alakel looks for a 2-0 win over Joshua Ocampo [8-33-5, 6 KOs].
Broadcast of the Usyk vs Fury match this Saturday on DAZN PPV.
Fighting for the first time with the full support of his promoter, Salita Promotions, undefeated Brooklyn heavyweight Pryce Taylor later said he was confident and confident he could do well in boxing.
Taylor (5-0, 3 KO), 28, defeated KeShawn Jackson last Thursday night in Flint, Michigan, fighting in an exhibition put on by his promoter in which he recorded an impressive third-round stoppage to finish his 2024 campaign on a high. year note.
“It was good to fight on a bigger stage, in a compact arena, in a nice atmosphere,” Taylor said about his first fight with a promotional contract. “My manager, Keith Sullivan, supported me by agreeing to sign with Salita Promotions. He talked to several promoters, but we felt that Dimitri Salita would be the right candidate for me.
“I felt like I had succeeded; I felt essential, but that was just the beginning. It was the same on fight night, I felt respect and appreciation from the entire Salita promotional company. My goal is to be a more recognizable player and be recognized by the fans. I’m hungry to perform in the coming year.”
“Four knockdowns were counted. I really hurt him with a body shot and when he felt my power he was done. I threw a barrage of punches into the corner (ss photo below) and he tried to hit me with a windmill punch. Then I hit him with a check hook, which ended the fight. He (Jackson) didn’t want to get knocked out, so he tried to show he was still fighting.”
“Of course,” Sullivan commented, “I’m joyful with the victory. This was another developmental fight and Pryce is learning and developing as a fighter. We had a busy year with 8 fights scheduled and 5 that actually crossed the line, so it was a very good first year for him as a pro. Right after that, I talked to Dimitri to arrange the next fight. We hope to have it scheduled in the coming weeks.”
Looking ahead to 2025, Taylor wants his next fight to be a six-rounder scheduled for his next outing, then move up to eight to fight for the junior title.
“I will now train to play 10 rounds,” Taylor concluded, “so that I will be ready when it comes time to play 12 rounds.”
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
MMA7 months ago
Interviews2 months ago
MMA7 months ago
Interviews2 months ago
MMA7 months ago
Boxing5 months ago
Interviews7 months ago
Opinions & Features2 months ago