Former WBC interim junior middleweight champion Serhii Bohachuk predicts a knockout victory over his replacement Ishmael Davis in their 12-round co-main event this Saturday, December 21. The fight will be live on DAZN PPV on the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2 card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Davis (13-1, 6 KOs) is fresh off a loss to Josh Kelly on Sept. 21 and was reportedly a fighter that Turki Alalshikh is high on despite his recent loss.
A lopsided match
Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs) says he beat Kelly in the amateurs. Even if he didn’t, Bohachuk’s battle with Ismael appears to be a bad mismatch. Davis, 29, is a lower-end/domestic-level fighter.
It’s a shame a better fighter wasn’t found as the replacement opponent for Bohachuk because Davis isn’t good enough to make this fight interesting. He showed no power and looked poor in his loss to Josh Kelly. He made Kelly look like a power puncher in that fight, and he’s not.
Ishmael Davis’ recent opponents
– Josh Kelly: MD 12 Loss
– Troy Williamson
– Ewan Mackenzie
– Lesther Espino
– Dustin Amman
– Gabor Gorbics
Ishmael Davis is quite old to fight this level of opposition, but his fight against Josh Kelly showed that he is not good enough to beat world class opponents.
Although Kelly is highly ranked, he should be in the bottom 14 or 15 spots. Kelly’s sixth-round knockout loss to David Avanesyan in 2021 and 10-round draw to Ray Robinson in 2019 showed his level, or lack thereof.
Bohachuk won a controversial 12-round majority decision against Vergil Ortiz Jr. on August 10. lost in a fight that left a black eye on the sport. He shouldn’t have lost, but the Las Vegas Judges gave it to the popular fighter.
Vergil Jr. was dropped twice in the fight and forced to run from the eighth round due to the punishment he took. Ortiz Jr. was probably saved from a knockout in the 11th round when the action was stopped for a glove repair. He got hurt at the time of the timeout.
“Ishmael Davis is smart, he’s strong and he’s in good shape. He is here and in good shape. He looks big and strong,” said Serhii Bohachuk BoxNation about his replacement opponent, Ishmael Davis, who he fights this Saturday, December 21, in Riyadh.
“I saw him in the restaurant now. He’s a good guy. He smiles. I saw his fight (with Josh Kelly). He pushes, moves, he can change his position from left to right. He is an interesting boxer. It’s a good experience for me, and a good fight for my career,” Bohachuk said of his fight against Ishmael Davis.
“Of course I can stop (Davis). I’m ready for Madrimov. Of course I can stop him. I can talk in battle. I will show you in battle.”
Bohachuk will walk Ishmael Davis and knock him out on Saturday night. Davis only goes the distance in this fight if he runs, which he will likely do all game. He doesn’t have the strength to stand up in the pocket against Bohachuk and will be quickly cut down if he tries.
Bohachuk chooses Usyk over anger
“Usyk wins the decision or KO. If Fury is ready for this fight, Usyk can win a decision,” said Bohachuk. “If Fury is not ready for this fight, Usyk will BUY him in the later rounds, maybe in nine or eleven rounds,” said Bohachuk, giving his prediction on the main event between unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.
“I don’t think I lost the fight with Vergil (Ortiz) and I think Madrimov wants the fight with Vergil in the next fight. I’m ready for Madrimov. When he beats Vergil, I’m ready for him. He’s a good boxer, he’s strong, and it’s an interesting fight for me,” Bohachuk said.
