Tim Tszyu says last night's fight between WBC interim junior middleweight champion Serhii Bohachuk and Vergil Ortiz Jr. it could have been a draw or win over Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs) due to his two knockouts in the tournament.
Close Call: No Clear Winner
Former WBO 154-lb champion Tszyu says he has defeated Vergil Jr. 7-5, but with his knockouts in the first and eighth rounds, it should have been a 12-round draw or a victory for Bohachuk.
It was a close enough fight that there shouldn't have been a winner because it looked like a draw. It's hard to fault any fighter who has won the competition. The judges scored it 113-113, 114-112 and 114-112.
Even if he leans on Vergil's love, the two knockdowns he's received and the heavy punches he's taken from the powerful puncher Bohachuk make it difficult to hand him the victory.
“I think it's 7-5 Ortiz, but with two strikes, it could even be Bohachuk first. It's boxing. You never know,” said Tim Tszyu on Fight Hub TV's YouTube forum, reacting to Serhii Bohachuk vs. Vergil. Ortiz Jr. last night in Las Vegas.
“That was a crowd pleaser, for sure. It was an explosive battle. These two are heroes. They put on a fair show. This was his [Vergil] the first proper battle in 154. A separate group from 154. “
The Power of Bohachuk's Punches
In the first eight rounds of the fight, Vergil had trouble landing right hands and left hooks from Bohachuk. The right hands that Bohachuk threw were crushing shots that snapped Vergil's head back on impact. You could see how powerful Bohachuk was in those punches, and Ortiz took a lot of them. Bohachuk's right hand power is at this level Gennady Golovkinand Vergil was hit by many of those punches.
They did him a lot of damage. In the 11th and 12th rounds, Vergil looked tired and hurt, being pushed back while being nailed by Bohachuk's shots. The loose tape that appeared in round 12 looked like it was designed to buy Vergil time to recover because he was taking a beating from Bohachuk.
In rounds 9-12, Vergil Jr. changed his game plan, using more jabs and moves to try to wear down Bohachuk. It worked well, but Vergil Jr. he still gets hit by big shots from Bohachuk because he was fighting far from his strength. Bohachuk's shooting wasn't as difficult up close as it was outside.
If Golden Boy Promotions chooses to match Vergil Ortiz Jr. against Terence Crawford next, the outcome may hinge on the Nebraska native's aging. Crawford looks older now, and the version we saw of Vergil Jr. last night will be a problem for him. If Crawford stays out of the ring for a year before the Ortiz fight, he will be even worse.
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