Israil Madrimov and Serhii Bohachuk are negotiating to fight on the undercard of the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2 card on December 21st in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Fernando Sabatini broke the news of the the Madrimov-Bohachuk talks for the December 21st card. It would be an outstanding addition to the card if it gets made, as both guys are former champions at 154 and coming off close defeats.
A Crucial Matchup for Both Fighters
Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) lost his WBA junior middleweight title to Terence Crawford by a 12-round unanimous decision on August 3rd in Los Angeles. Going up against Bohachuk will be a different type of fight for Madrimov, and he’ll need to focus on his power game for him to win.
Using the same tactical approach against Bohachuk as he did against Crawford won’t work, and it might even get Madrimov knocked out. He’s got to be ‘Little GGG’ for this fight because he won’t be able to keep Bohachuk off him with single right hands and jabs.
Interestingly, many boxing fans on social media expect this to be an easy win for Madrimov, but not if he fights tactically like he did against Crawford. Madrimov has got to fight with a purpose because he gave away his chances of beating Crawford by being too timid and not throwing enough punches, especially in rounds 9 through 12.
Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs), a former WBC junior middleweight champion, lost his title to Vergil Ortiz Jr. by a 12-round majority decision on August 10th. He’d hoped that Vergil Jr. would give him a rematch, considering how close and controversial the result was, but there was no interest on Team Ortiz’s side. They were happy with their win.
“I am informed that a fight between Israil Madrimov and Serhii Bohachuk is being negotiated for December 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, within the Fury-Usyk 2 card,” reports Fernando Sabatini on X.
