Is Madrimov looking forward to Bohachuk? – Boxing News 24

Serhii Bohachuk says it’s a “joke” for his next opponent, former WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov, to have a fight announced 63 days from their Dec. 21 bout against Vergil Ortiz Jr. on February 22.

Overlooked

Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs) feels it is presumptuous for Madrimov and his team to call the match against Ortiz Jr. to schedule when the outcome of their December 21st fight has not yet been determined. Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) could suffer a loss or injury and will have to be pulled from the February 22nd card.

From Madrimov’s perspective, he obviously had no intention of saying no to His Excellency Turki Alalshikh when asked about his interest in facing Vergil Jr. fighting in his massive Riyadh season. How could he say no? The money will be good, and he has no intention of refusing Turki. If the shoe was on the other foot and Bohachuk was the one Turki asked for, he probably would have agreed too.

It’s a tough call for Madrimov, 29, to defeat former WBC interim 154-lb champion Bohachuk and come through the bout without sustaining an injury. He might win, but what are the chances of getting through it without getting cut or taking very heavy punishment that would require a long rest.

As Madrimov fought in his loss to Terence Crawford on Aug. 3, he won’t beat Bohachuk. He tired against Crawford in the championship rounds and allowed the 37-year-old to outplay him. Bohachuk is younger, bigger, stronger and has a better work rate than Crawford. If Madrimov can’t keep up, he will surely lose.

“It’s a joke!”

“No, it’s a joke to me. They can say talk about this after my fight with Madrimov, okay? And now I’m looking for my fight, and you know, for me it’s not serious,” Serhii Bohachuk told DAZN Boxing, in response to his Dec. 21 opponent, Israil Madrimov, who will fight Vergil Ortiz Jr. on Feb. 22.

“You can plan for the future in battle. No, it’s not football. It’s not another sport. It’s boxing. One fight can change everything. I can change your career. For me it is not serious. It’s like a joke, you know? It is a very serious sport. Here you don’t know what happens in the next fight. No, it’s a joke,” said an upset-sounding Bohachuk.

It’s understandable for Bohachuk to feel slighted by Madrimov’s selection as Vergil Jr’s opponent ahead of their December 21st Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2 card. Turki wanted to publicize the card, and it made sense to pick Madrimov because he was coming off a high-profile fight against Crawford on August 3rd, which was very close.

That match got more attention than Bohachuk’s fight against Vergil Jr. for obvious reasons. Madrimov fought better in this fight than Bohachuk in his questionable loss. He got close to Crawford and probably would have if he let his hands go a little more in rounds 10 to 12.

Bohachuk calls Madrimov vs Ortiz a joke 👀#Usyk2Fury | #Riyadh Season | December 21, live on DAZN | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/aHhogchUuH

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 5, 2024

“We thought Serhii should have won a decision or at least retained his title, but Vergil is a great fighter,” promoter Tom Loeffler told Fighthype, regarding Bohachuk’s controversial 12-round majority decision loss to Vergil Ortiz Jr. on August 10.

Bohachuk came close to beating Vergil, but let the fight slip away when he couldn’t adapt to the movement he used in the last three rounds. Ortiz Jr. changed things up by boxing in the last quarter of the fight, and Bohachuk just chased him and didn’t look good.

“Madrimov put up a great fight against Terence Crawford. He is another great fighter in that division. There are so many great names you can mix and match,” Loeffler said.