Sunday Convo: Serhii Bohachuk vs Vergil Ortiz Jr-The War Of ’24

When the term “Styles make fights” is thrown around during fight week, fans will listen but oftentimes brush it off as it has led to some dull fights, leaving those who watched upset at the product. This week felt a little different as fans know what Vergil Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) and Serhii Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs) bring to a fight, which almost made it impossible that we wouldn’t be treated to an all-out war. On Saturday night, that’s exactly what we were given. “Fight of the Year” was trending on X, and regardless of Ortiz winning by majority decision (113-113, 114-112 & 114-112), it was the type of fight that regained the confidence of those wondering if the sport had seen its best days of high-level toe to toe action between two talented fighters.

While people were concerned about the weigh-in 24 hours prior, Ortiz came underneath the junior middleweight limit of 154 pounds and even matched his opponent’s weight at 153.8 pounds. When the robes were taken off in the ring just before the start of the first round, Bohachuk looked like a middleweight, while Ortiz appeared every bit of a super middleweight. The only question remaining would be if the size difference could give Ortiz the advantage and ultimately stop Bohachuk late in the fight, as oddsmakers heavily favored that outcome. One thing is for sure: once the bell rang, all of that went out the window.

The WAR In Las Vegas

Bohachuk and Ortiz did not allow anyone watching live or on the DAZN app to leave their seats as they went blow for blow from the start. It was Bohachuk leading with a left jab and straight right hand down the middle while Ortiz was ripping to the body with left hooks and coming over the top with an overhand right. One of those straight rights by Bohachuk caught Ortiz, and he went down to the canvas. The referee quickly called it a slip, but after the round was over, he asked the NSAC (Nevada State Athletic Commission) to review the knockdown, and they decided not to. In the fourth round, the NSAC would review the slip and call it a knockdown, granting Bohachuk the 10-8 round.

Ortiz appeared a little fatigued during the middle rounds, while Bohachuk kept coming forward. Both men were taking massive shots, and if any other fighter was facing them that night, I doubt that the fighter would still be standing. In the seventh round, Ortiz’s fatigue caught up to him as Bohachuk landed a clean left hook, sending Ortiz down for the second time in the fight. Ortiz argued that it was a slip, but a clean punch by Bohachuk and bad foot positioning by Ortiz led to the knockdown. That woke up Ortiz, who was a bit inactive, and he started to really go for it as he knew he was down on the cards.

Ortiz desperately needed the championship rounds, and, in the 11th, he hurt Bohachuk but could not do anything to finish him as the Ukrainian is built Ford tough. They went down swinging in the last round as both fighters emptied their gas tanks. The crowd was in awe of what they were seeing, while promoters Oscar De La Hoya (Golden Boy Promotions) and Tom Loeffler (360 Promotions) appeared concerned about the outcome. The scorecards were read, and Ortiz became the new interim WBC junior middleweight champion. Bohachuk shook his head, and his promoter, Loeffler, would later share his thoughts on a decision he felt Bohachuk should have gotten.

Where Do Ortiz Jr. & Bohachuk Go From Here?

All over social media, whether they thought Ortiz won or Bohachuk, one common theme was that they wanted to see a rematch. Although in a perfect world, that would happen, it doesn’t seem likely in this case. Prior to the start of the fight, Turki Alalshikh announced that if Ortiz came out victorious, he would make the fight with WBA junior middleweight champion Terence Crawford next. Although that’s a great fight, fans want to see the rematch with Ortiz and Bohachuk after Saturday night. Maybe the demand will grow and delay the Crawford plans, but seeing how Alalshikh has been moving these days, if that’s the fight he wants (Crawford vs. Ortiz), then that’s the one he will get.

With regard to Bohachuk, his stock went up after last night, even after the defeat. If he can’t secure the rematch, the next best fight likely to have a similar war result to the Ortiz one would be against Charles Conwell. That’s the fight that would create just as many fireworks. The winner of that fight should get a title fight right after. But for now, Loeffler and 360 Promotions will have to sit down with their fighter and see the best route for his future.

My Three Cents

Although Dana White and others want to see the death of boxing, fights like these restore the feeling inside fans like to have when they finish seeing a great fight. Ortiz and Bohachuk not only had a great fight for their legacies but also elevated a sport that needs a boost from time to time.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is the founder of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms to include online, network TV and promotional companies. He is an American Public University alumnus and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, contributed to FanSidedMMA and ProBoxTV.

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