Serhii Bohachuk says he is aiming to become undisputed at 154 after a sixth-round stoppage victory over Ishmael Davis in a WBC title eliminator last Saturday night in Riyadh.
154-lb targets
It could take some time for Bohachuk to achieve that goal, as he should set up fights with these three champions:
– Sebastian Fundora: WBC & WBO
– Bakhram Murtazaliev: IBF
– Terence Crawford: WBA
It's unlikely that Crawford will agree to fight Bohachuk unless he showers him with money as he seeks a major payday against Canelo Alvarez at 168. He won't want to risk his undefeated record after a tight bout against the former WBA 154lb champion of Israel. Madrimov.
Bohachuk (25-2, 24 KOs) is in position to fight the winner of the Feb. 22 bout between WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Israila Madrimov. If Vergil wins that fight, it would set up a rematch between Bohachuk and him. Turki Alalashikh may need to be involved to coax Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KO) to fight Serhii again.
Vergil Jr. defeated Bohachuk via a controversial 12-round majority decision on August 10 last summer, and many fans feel it was a robbery. Interestingly, Ortiz Jr. showed no interest in a rematch with Bohachuk after that match. Some believe that he does not want to risk getting beaten up.
Blue flame
“Bohačuk is a machine. This guy never stops hitting. He comes forward and just keeps hitting,” Teddy Atlas said on his YouTube channel, reacting to Serhii Bohacuk's knockout victory over Ishmael Davis last Saturday night in Riyadh.
Bohačuk is now in the driver's seat. He just won the WBC eliminator title and he deserves it. Fans will agree with me; some of them thought he beat Vergil Ortiz. I thought it was very close. I gave it to Ortiz. It was very close. Some people will say he got what he deserved now that he got another shot at the title.
His punches are straight and concise; they are on target. No fat in between. It's hard to argue between them after he's done because sometimes he's standing there for a split second. You can fight him right away or time him in the middle,” Atlas said of Bohachuk.
With the win over Davis, Bohachuk is WBC obligated for Sebastian Fundora's belt. He is scheduled to fight Errol Spence in the first half of 2025, but it remains to be seen if that matchup will happen. If so, Bohachuk will be ready to fight the winner or grab the WBC belt if it remains vacant.
“This guy (Bohachuk) doesn't throw anything wide. He applies pressure, good pressure,” Atlas said. “You see a flame, but when you see a pure flame, you see nothing. You see the blue. When you see the second flame, you see red, orange. But when you see a real intense, pure flame, sometimes it's just blue. Bohačuk is a blue flame. There is nothing greasy.
“There is no orange. There is no red. That's the difference between someone who just throws punches and a guy who throws them the right way. His fight, the blows are delivered in the right way. It has a blue flame. The fight (Bohachuk vs. Davis) was close throughout. He knocked Davis out in the second round with a left hook. He should be tied as in handcuffs.
“It wasn't a strong enough clinch, and he (Bohachuk) got loose, and he threw a short left hook inside, and that dropped Davis. He continued to hit, and at the end of the sixth round, Davis' corner did the right thing. They did the compassionate thing. They broke up the fight.
Looking at the belts
“He dropped it because they were actually in the clinch. This is not seen too often. But when you clinch, everything in boxing has an art. The clinch is an art. Davis didn't tie it very well and Bohachuk broke free. There was still some slack. “If you're going to clinch someone, there's no slack,” Atlas said.
Bohachuk was not held when he knocked Davis out with a left hook in the second round. The two were close, and Bohachuk connected with a left hand he didn't see.
Ok, which fight did you like the most in 2024?
Btw 2025 will be fireworks. Every opponent is welcome, but the goal is the status of undisputed champion.You can't avoid me forever haha. @TomLoeffler1 let's go!
— Serhii Bohachuk 🇺🇦 (@SBohachuk) December 26, 2024
