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Interim WBC Junior Middleweight Champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. he will face a very different test in his title defense against the technically skilled Israil Madrimov on February 22 in Riyadh. The fight will take place in 58 days.
The powerful 26-year-old Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) defeated the powerful puncher. Serhiy Bohachuk by a questionable 12-round majority decision in his last fight on August 10. Bohachuk dropped Ortiz Jr. twice in the fight.
Vergil Jr. he was outmatched by the more powerful Bohachuk throughout the fight, but made a controversial decision to get on his bike in the final four rounds to get the win.
Ortiz Jr. he didn’t choose to give Bohachuk a rematch to clear up the controversy, which is understandable considering the punishment he took in that fight. Bohachuk had beaten Vergil at his own game, outmaneuvering him and forcing him to move in the final quarter of the contest.
Vergil Jr. vs. Bohachuk Punch Stats
– Ortiz Jr: 265 of 732 shots for 43%
– Bohachuk: 225 of 817 for 36%
Ortiz Jr. he wilted under Bohachuk’s power, took a lot of damage to his face, was hurt in the later rounds and was given time to repair his gloves. He seemed to use it to recover.
It will be a different kind of fight against Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs), who is faster, more technical and just as powerful as Bohachuk with his right hand. Vergil Jr’s best chance to win this fight is with pressure because he doesn’t possess the skills that Madrimov has going for him.
Former WBA junior middleweight champion Madrimov will likely be more aggressive than he was in his loss to Terence Crawford, but he won’t use the forward pressure that Bohachuk displayed. That’s not his style. However, Madrimov has the power and time to hurt Ortiz Jr. if he tries to take him down like he has with most of his opponents in his eight year professional career.
grudge match
Vergil Jr. and Madrimov have different opinions on how their fights have gone in the past. In an interview with Fight Hub TV, Madrimov, 29, said he didn’t give “100%” during the sparring and said Vergil Jr. he was just a “normal” boxer.
said Ortiz Jr Fight Hub TV On Madrimov’s comments, “he said, ‘He’s a normal boxer, and we just went to play with him.’ To me, that’s throwing shade.”
Madrimov: “There’s really nothing to say. We sparred well. He’s athletic, he’s fast. I was helping him prepare for his fight at the time. We exchanged experiences. I don’t know what else to tell you
Former amateur star Madrimov lost a 12-round unanimous decision to Terence Crawford in his last fight on August 3 in Los Angeles. The scores were 115-113, 116-112 and 115-113.
Many boxing fans felt afterwards that Madrimov had come close to beating Crawford and would have won had he turned up the heat in the championship rounds. He made the 37-year-old Crawford look his age in that fight.
