Outside of the possible 'fight of the year' and the probable 'knockout of the year', not much happened this weekend in boxing. We'll talk more about the latter, but our primary focus will be on the grueling 12 round battle that took place between Serhii Bohachuk and Vergil Ortiz at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
While it was technically for the WBC interim junior middleweight title, what really seemed to be at stake -- at least for Ortiz -- was a huge Saudi Arabian funded payday against Terence Crawford.
But just as a funny thing happened to 'Bud' on his way to Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez in Los Angeles a week earlier in beating Israil Madrimov for the WBA belt. A similar thing happened to Ortiz, who had to go life-and-death with the unbowed Bohachuk.
Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Promotions
Not only did Bohachuk score two knockdowns of Ortiz in the first and eighth rounds, in-between he consistently laid the leather on Ortiz. Many pundits believed that Ortiz with his superior power and speed, would make relatively easy work of the methodical pressure fighter from Ukraine. And at times, Ortiz did beat him to the punch, and shook him more than once.
Going into the championship rounds, the fight was in peril. To his credit, while the needle on his gas gauge was starting to point to 'E', Ortiz found the resolve to fight his way back into things after hitting the canvas for the second time. The courage and competitive character of Ortiz should not be overlooked. In a bout where he got hit more than ever, somehow he found a way to push himself beyond a limit that had never been asked of him.
FIGHT HIGHLIGHTS | VERGIL ORTIZ VS. SERHII BOHACHUK
There is a divided opinion on who won this fight. Was it the guy who won more rounds (Ortiz), or the guy who scored two knockdowns, while winning at least a few others. But at the end of the night, the three opinions that matter the most had Ortiz squeaking out a razor thin majority decision (113-113, 114-112, and 114-112)
Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Promotions
My personal scorecard read 114-113 for Bohachuk, but again, I'm sitting a ways back in press row (which isn't as close as it used to be). Most fans had this fight a point or two in either direction. Regardless, Ortiz was ruled the victor.
“This has been what we have been fighting for since I was five years old,” said the 26 year old, Ortiz. “Straight from school, go to the gym, do my homework and get straight to work. When I went pro, it was all day business - 24/7 boxing and it has finally paid off. The first knockdown, I didn’t feel like it was a true knockdown, I felt like I hit his shoe, but the second one really was one. I feel like I did enough to win this fight. I proved everyone wrong. Everyone was saying that I’m washed, that I can’t fight at 154, or that I can’t go the distance. All of that fueled me. I am the best in the world now.”
But this victory came at a cost. As you saw Ortiz make his way to the dressing room after that hard fought battle, you saw the damage to his face. This was no garden variety fight. It's the kind that is remembered fondly by fans, but can leave permanent, long-lasting damage to the participants. Ortiz did not attend the post-fight press conference as he was taken to the hospital for observation.
Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Promotions
It left you wondering if/when he'd be available for Crawford. And beyond that, just how competitive would he be? What Madrimov was for Crawford, Bohachuk was for Ortiz.
As for Bohachuk, while he lost, he certainly gained a measure of respect in defeat (much like Madrimov). Perhaps that's not much of a consolation to him or his bitterly disappointed team. But if you didn't know who he was before, you do now.
“People saw this fight today, and the real boxing fans who watched this fight know what happened tonight,” said Bohachuk. “I am feeling great. I knocked him down twice. I want to support my country, Ukraine, I want to say thank you to all the fans for all the support.”
ATMOSPHERE
There was a relatively small crowd at the Mandalay Bay for this card which was promoted by Golden Boy Promotions. Just eye-balling it, there was probably no more than 5,000 people inside the Mandalay Bay Events Center, which has hosted some historic fights in the past.
The lower bowl was far from filled up, and the upper levels were empty.
Steve Kim
For as good a fight as Ortiz-Bohachuk was, it really belonged at a venue like the Dignity Health Sports Park, aka, 'the War Gounds' in Carson, California. Which has gone a bit dormant as promoters are now hesitant to go there after years of comps from PBC have ruined that market. It will be interesting to see how Matchroom does in that venue on August 31 with Diego Pacheco.
And with the various fight people being lodged at the MGM Grand and New York, New York, with a big convention taking place at the Mandalay Bay, it really didn't feel like a regular fight week in Las Vegas.
KO OF THE YEAR
Meanwhile at the Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, what was a nip-and-tuck battle between Luis Alberto 'Venado' Lopez and Angelo Leo was ended suddenly and violently, as Leo ripped off a blistering left hook that sent Lopez crashing to the canvas. He was down and out.
Angelo Leo SLEEPS Venado Lopez In KO Of The Year Candidate | FIGHT HIGHLIGHTS
And just like that, Leo is the new IBF featherweight champion.
FINAL FLURRIES
On the Golden Boy undercard, Charles Conwell and Kenneth Sims notched dominant victories. I expect them to eventually fight for world titles in the next year or so...There was a cooling trend in Las Vegas this past weekend. It got down all the way to the low 110's....I can be reached at k9kim@yahoo.com...
