WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. will face a very different test in his title defense against the technically skilled Israil Madrimov on February 22 in Riyadh. The fight will take place in 58 days.
The powerful 26-year-old Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) defeated the power puncher Serhii Bohachuk by a questionable 12-round majority decision in his last fight on August 10. Bohachuk beat Ortiz Jr. dropped twice in battle.
Vergil Jr. was pummeled throughout the fight by the more powerful Bohachuk, but picked up a controversial decision by getting on his bike for the final four rounds to take the win.
Ortiz Jr. opted not to give Bohachuk a rematch to clear up the controversy, which is understandable given how much punishment he took in that fight. Bohachuk beat Vergil at his own game, kicked him out and forced him to move in the final quarter of the game.
Vergil Jr. vs. Bohachuk Punch Statistics
– Ortiz Jr: 265 of 732 shots for 43%
– Bohachuk: 225 of 817 for 36%
Ortiz Jr. wilted under the power of Bohachuk, suffered a lot of facial damage, was injured in the later rounds and was given time for glove repair. It turned out that he used it to recover.
It will be a different kind of fight against Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs), who is faster, more technical and just as powerful as Bohachuk with his right hand. Vergil Jr’s best chance to win this fight is with pressure because he doesn’t have the skills that Madrimov has going for him.
Former WBA junior middleweight champion Madrimov will likely be more aggressive than he was in his loss to Terence Crawford, but he won’t use the forward pressure that Bohachuk showed. That’s not his style. However, Madrimov possesses the power and timing to defeat Ortiz jr. hurt if he tries to knock him down as he has done with most of his opponents in his eight-year professional career.
Grudge Match
Vergil Jr. and Madrimov have different views on how their sparring has gone in the past. In an interview with Fight Hub TV, Madrimov, 29, said he did not do “100%” during the sparring and said Vergil Jr. was just a “normal” boxer.
Ortiz Jr. said Fight Hub TV about Madrimov’s comments, “He said, ‘He’s a normal boxer, and we just went to play with him.’ To me it’s throwing shade.”
Madrimov: “There’s really nothing to say. We had a good sparring. He’s athletic, he’s fast. At the time I helped him with his preparation for his fight. We exchanged experiences. I don’t know what else to tell you
Former amateur star Madrimov lost a close 12-round unanimous decision to Terence Crawford in his last fight on August 3 in Los Angeles. The scores were 115-113, 116-112 and 115-113.
Many boxing fans felt in hindsight that Madrimov could have beaten Crawford close and would have won had he turned up the heat in the championship rounds. He made Crawford, 37, look his age in that fight.
