It’s not every night when you pick yourself off the mat a few times and come back to win a decision. That’s exactly what Vergil Ortiz did as he overcame adversity to win the interim WBC junior middleweight championship against Serhii Bohachuk on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
AND THE NEW… Vergil Ortiz ????#BohachukOrtiz pic.twitter.com/vNFh8IEnbC
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) August 11, 2024
Virgil Ortiz, (22-0, 21 KOs) 26, who was knocked down in Rounds 1 and 8. But he got up and was extremely effective enough to pull out a decision on the scorecards. Two judges had it scored 114-112, 114-112 and 113-113 in a fight of the year contender. “Fight of the year, baby,” said Ortiz’s promoter, Hall of Fame boxer Oscar De La Hoya.
“I felt like I did enough,” said Ortiz, “I proved everyone wrong who said that I’m washed, I can’t fight at 154, I can’t go the distance. All of it fueled me. I’m the best in the world right now, and I’m going to keep showing it.”
Serhii Bohachuk was very disappointed with the scorecards. He felt like he did enough to get the decision and to be able to win the championship.
“People who saw this fight today and who understand boxing know what happened today,” Bohachuk, 29, said in reference to the judges’ verdict. “I’m feeling great, I make two knockdowns. Come on, guys.”
Ortiz was able to get the nod on the cards because he won the championship rounds. He won them decisively on all of the scorecards which is why he was able to overcome the two knockdowns.
Who’s next?
With the victory, Ortiz picked up the WBC interim title, which positions him for a shot against the winner of the planned December bout between Sebastian Fundora and Errol Spence. That is a great option for Ortiz but he has his sights set after the biggest name in the division and that’s Terance Crawford.
Without a doubt that’s the biggest fight that Ortiz can make. Ortiz has his promotor in his corner to make the fight happen. Obviously he is very confident with his chances against Crawford.
“I’m ready for a challenge,” said Ortiz. “I think Bud Crawford is probably No. 1 pound for pound in the world and I want to show that I have what it takes to beat him.”
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Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
