Vergil Ortiz vs Serhiy Bohachuk fight prediction, odds, undercard, start time, preview, where to watch
Long regarded as one of the sport’s most exciting rising boxers, Vergil Ortiz is set to take a major step up in competition when he takes on Serhiy Bohachuk on Saturday. Bohachuk’s WBC interim junior middleweight title will be on the line when the pair face off in Las Vegas.
Ortiz has beaten all 21 men he has stepped into the ring with professionally, including consecutive first-round knockouts of Frederick Lawson and Thomas Dulorme in his first two outings at junior middleweight. In Bohachuk, Ortiz takes on an opponent who tries to finish every fight in a similar fashion, including his most recent fight, a victory over Brian Mendoza to win the interim belt, which is the only time Bohachuk has seen the final bell.
Bohachuk is an aggressive player who often doesn’t care about being defensively responsible. This has worked very well for him in his career so far and he can be explosive right from the opening bell.
“It’s exciting because we’ve competed before,” Ortiz said at the pre-fight press conference. “When two fighters don’t know each other they get a chance to test each other. Well, I don’t think there’s going to be a feeling out round. We’ll pick up right where we left off and it’s going to be an exciting fight.”
The man who wins the WBC interim belt will face WBC and WBO champion Sebastian Fundora, who has a career-best win over Tim Tszyu.
Aside from Fundora, there are several other big fights potentially waiting for the winner of Ortiz vs. Bohachuk, as Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has thwarted Turki Alalshikh’s efforts to set up a fight between Alvarez and WBA junior middleweight champion Terence Crawford, leaving the division in some uncertainty.
If Crawford decides to stay at 154 pounds after a tougher-than-expected fight with Israil Madrimov, someone like Fundora or Ortiz would be his best option for “big fights.”
A fight with Tszyu could also be on the cards. Ortiz was originally scheduled to face Tszyu this month, but Tszyu needed more time to recover from his title-losing performance against Fundora. Tszyu is still a big name and could bring a lot to a fight with Ortiz in the future.
The undercard will feature two fights for women’s titles. Gabriela Fundora, Sebastian’s sister, will try to defend her IBF flyweight title when she takes on Daniela Asenjo. Fundora, 22, is undefeated at 13-0 with six knockouts so far. Also, former undisputed welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhus will try to win more gold when she takes on Maricela Cornejo for the WBC interim junior middleweight crown. After losing her crown to Jessica McCaskill in 2020, Braekhus moved up in weight for her next challenge. She fought Terri Harper for the majority of the WBA and WBO titles and instead of a rematch, Braekhus is now looking to go for one of the other titles available in the division.
Ortiz vs Bohachuk fight card, odds
- Vergil Ortiz -330 vs. Serhiy Bohachuk (IC) +250, WBC interim junior middleweight title
- Gabriela Fundora (c) -1600 vs. Daniela Asenjo +750, IBF flyweight title
- Cecilia Braekhus vs. Marisela Cornejo, vacant WBC interim junior middleweight title
- Charles Conwell -3500 vs. Khiari Gray +1100, junior middleweight
Prediction
This is a fight that will get any fight fan’s blood boiling. Both men will go out to the ground to rip each other’s heads off and it is highly likely that this will be an action fight. It is also a dangerous fight for Ortiz, which is exactly what you want to see at this stage of his career as he prepares to reach the world championship level.
Despite all the threats Bohachuk presents, his defensive responsibilities will make the difference here. Ortiz can break and he is technically sound. When Bohachuk is throwing the full weight of his attack at Ortiz, there will be opportunities for Ortiz to turn things around with a single punch. That will likely happen early, but Bohachuk will likely be able to finish it off somehow by the middle rounds. Pick: Vergil Ortiz via TKO5
