Ukrainian warrior Serhii Bohachuk will rumble with unbeaten 154-pound operator Vergil Ortiz on August 10, and Bohachuk, who has sparred quite a bit with Ortiz, says he is anticipating a “war” in Las Vegas. Bohachuk, 24-1(23) and the WBC interim champ at 154, says he will use “smart aggression” in the fight, one he is very much looking forward to.
Ortiz, 21-0(21) overall and 2-0 as a 154-pounder, has looked sensational in plenty of his fights, and at the new weight, Ortiz could be even more of a force than he was as a 147-pounder. Ortiz and Bohachuk sparred with, of course, bigger gloves than the 10-oz ones they would wear on fight night, and both men were interested in seeing what would happen when they collided without headgear and with smaller gloves.
“I know his style,” Bohachuk said of Ortiz when speaking with Fight Hub TV. “I have experience training with him, I have sparring with him, a lot of time sparring with him – maybe 50 rounds, maybe 70 rounds with him sparring. Sparring is sparring, fight is fight – different. I know his style, he’s fast, strong, he’s Mexican boxer and he’s smart. He’s thinking, you know. And he knows me too…..it will be war. It’s very interesting. I need to be careful [in] this fight. He can punch. I need to be different and careful. Like my coach Manny Robles told me, ‘You need to be careful first round, 12 rounds. It’s the same. I know this. I need to be careful with him, not just throw, throw, throw punches…..I need to be smart in this fight, smart in aggression.”
29-year-old Bohachuk, beaten only by Brandon Adams, who stopped him in March 2021, is coming off a good win over Brian Mendoza (the only man to have beaten Sebastian Fundora). He has won his last six bouts. This fight could just prove to be the sternest test Ortiz will have faced thus far in his ultra-promising career.
The styles of Bohachuk and Ortiz figure to make for a good, exciting fight. Ortiz, the younger man by three years, is the pick to win, but no way does Bohachuk go quickly or quietly.
