Vergil Ortiz Jr. Edges Out Serhii Bohachuk in FOTY Saturday

It seemed nearly impossible that Vergil Ortiz Jr. of Grand Prairie, Texas (22-0, 21 KOs) and WBC Interim Super Welterweight champion Serhii Bohachuk of Ukraine (24-2, 23 KOs) would hear the judges’ scorecards on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Improbably, two fighters with just one decision between them in 45 fights battled, brawled, and banged out 12 brutal rounds of boxing that had fans at the Michelob Ultra Center at Mandalay Bay on their feet throughout the bout.

Despite scoring two knockdowns against Ortiz Jr., Bohachuk relinquished his WBC interim belt by scores of 114-112 from Steve Weisfeld and David Sutherland and 113-113 from Max Deluca.

Ortiz Jr. said the victory resulted from years of hard work dedicating himself to boxing since the age of five. “It’s been all business, and it paid off. I’m the best in the world right now and I’m going to keep showing it,” said the Texan of his victory.

Bohachuk shook his head upon hearing the results. “People will decide, and those who understand boxing know what happened today,” said the Ukrainian.

Both fighters were taken to a Las Vegas hospital for examination as a precaution. Both fighter teams emphasized their boxers “were fine” despite the damage each inflicted on the other.

Thrilling Action Fight As Expected

It was no surprise the fight would be a close-quarters battle, a display of offensive firepower, and a battle of will and determination. Ortiz Jr. wanted to prove himself to the doubters and earn a big-money title fight, while Bohachuk wanted to show he deserved more respect than his underdog status.

In this, both men won. Ortiz Jr. drilled Bohachuk repeatedly to the body and landed hard hooks and uppercuts that could have dropped a horse. Bohachuk walked through most and took the worst of them with barely a wobble.

Bohachuk fought behind an active, vicious jab, and he landed more than his share of stinging shots on Ortiz Jr. What Bohachuk managed to do that Ortiz Jr. could not was to score two knockdowns.

The first came in the first round. Referee Harvey Dock ruled it a slip as Ortiz Jr. stumbled to a knee. The Nevada State Athletic Commission permits video review, and during a brief delay to the start of the fifth round, the replay confirmed a knockdown, not a slip.

Bohachuk scored his second knockdown in the eighth round, a flash knockdown as Ortiz Jr. stumbled forward off balance from a punch and touched both gloves to the canvas. He groaned as Harvey Dock administered a count.

At the end of eight rounds, Ortiz Jr. was behind on the scorecards 77-73, 76-75, and was tied 74-74 on the third. Ortiz Jr. rallied to win the ninth on two of three cards and the remaining three rounds on all three judges’ scorecards.

Joy and Outrage Over Outcome

Trainer Robert Garcia said he knew the fight was close and had to motivate Ortiz Jr. to finish strong. He believes Ortiz Jr. needed to go through a tough battle to prepare him for the opportunities ahead, especially after winning so many of his fights after just a few rounds. “He’s going to learn a lot. This is what boxing is. It’s not always going to be easy.”

His counterpart, Manny Robles, was emotional as he reacted to the loss. “I get sick and tired of this shit, how unfair they can be. They put their lives on the line just to get to thie point. Officials don’t know what the fuck they’re looking at. Nobody holds them accountable.”

He asked why boxing judges don’t answer questions about their scorecards. Trust me Manny, we’d love to interview judges. But they are never made available.

Bohachuk’s promoter, Tom Loeffler, was livid and didn’t hold back. “This one is a tough one to overcome. We’re not hanging our heads. Serhii’s stock went up, a lot.” Loeffler said he believes Bohachuk will have more opportunities in the competitive 154-pound division.

Talking Turki … Alalshikh

In a surprise appearance prior to the main event, Saudi Entertainment Authority minister Turki Alalshikh joined Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya on the DAZN broadcast to discuss future plans.

Dressed in a plain black t-shirt, Alalshikh said he wanted to match Ortiz Jr. with Terence Crawford and add a fight between Shakur Stevenson and Golden Boy fighter William Zepeda to the undercard.

When former champion Tim Tszyu was mentioned, Alalshikh immediately dismissed him. “Tim Tsyzu is not in my mind now.” He also repeated his comments on social media saying Canelo Alvarez is not on the map either. “He doesn’t respond with what we think is good for boxing,” said Alalshikh, who said he plans to sit down with De La Hoya Sunday in Las Vegas and talk about their plans.

Charles Conwell Gets Co-Main Shot

Super welterweight Charles “Bad News” Conwell of Cleveland (20-0, 15 KOs) made quick work of Khiary Gray of Worcester, Massachusetts (18-7, 13 KOs), scoring a devasting body shot knockout at 2:32 of the second round to cap off an impressive performance.

Conwell wanted to impress promoter Oscar De La Hoya, the fans, and matchmakers who can consider him for title opportunities. Mission accomplished.

Conwell began investing in going to Gray’s body, who was there to be hit. Gray is sturdy and a big super welterweight, but Conwell is strong based on his wrestling background and his work ethic in the gym.

After just a few minutes, Gray decided quickly he didn’t want much more, backing up with Conwell hunting him down. He got in position to land a series of body shots, and it was the classic left hook to the liver that got it done,

“I’m going to keep doing this and blowing guys out of the ring,” promised Conwell. Asked when he knew he had Gray where he wanted him, Conwell laughed, “When he signed up for this.”

Sims Jr. Blasts Out Romero In Two Rounds

“Bossman” Kenneth Sims Jr. of Chicago (21-2-1, 7 KOs) and veteran Jonathan Romero of Colombia, based in Las Vegas (35-5, 19 KOs) didn’t know they would face each other until just a few days ago. Sims wanted to impress his new promoters with a knockout win in his Golden Boy debut. Romero, who took the fight on short notice, said ‘Vamos’!

Sims pointed out he was a top amateur and didn’t know who he’d be fighting until the day of his bouts.

The pair put on a fun if one-sided action fight, with Sims Jr. living up to his moniker by showing Romero he was the boss. Sims beat down Romero for five rounds. Romero tried to engage, but he lacked Sims’s firepower and speed.

Sims Jr. landed one of the hardest of his many uppercuts and had Romero wobbling against the corner ropes at the end of the fifth round, but Romero stayed on his feet. Referee Robert Hoyle and Romero’s corner decided to call it a day after the round ended, giving the fifth-round TKO to Sims.

“I felt like I was making my professional debut again,” said Sims Jr. “It was great to be in the ring again after so long.”

Sims Jr. gave himself a harsh appraisal after the fight. “I didn’t think it was that good, I felt rusty. I was smothering myself a little bit because I’ve been off, it’s been a long time. I’m going to get better every time,” he promised.

Fundora Aims To Become Youngest Undisputed Champion

IBF World Flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora of Coachella, California (14-0, 6 KOs) couldn’t extend her knockout streak to three against Daniela Asenjo of Chile (16-4, 3 KOs). But Asenjo might have preferred a quick ending to the ten-round beating she endured from the talented 22-year-old champion.

Fundora won a unanimous decision with scores of 100 to 90 on all three cards.

Asenjo was in survival mode from the opening bell. Fundora drilled her repeatedly with some of the hardest left hooks and power shots in women’s boxing. By the fifth round, she was beating the tar out of Asenjo. Her nose appeared broken. Nevertheless, Asenjo’s husband and trainer let her continue the fight, and she heard the final bell. Nose busted.

“Asenjo was a good fighter. I got her with some hard shots, and she was able to last the 10-rounds with me,” said Fundora.

Fundora landed 143 of 306 power punches, a 47% connect rate. Asenjo landed 46 of 246 power punches (19%), and few did damage.

Fundora now has her sights set on becoming a unified and then undisputed champion. “Undisputed is next for me,” said Fundora. “I want to break the record for the youngest undisputed champion.”

“I feel like a fight against (WBC/WBO unified champion) Gabriela Alaniz would be such an action-packed fight and good for me as well as good for Golden Boy,” said Fundora. No kidding. Any Fundora fight is action-packed.

Prospect Watch: Joel Iriarte

Promising prospect Joel Iriarte of Bakersfield, California (4-0, 4 KOs) wasted no extra effort, taking out Miguel Ortiz of Massachusetts (3-2, 1 KO) in the first round.

Iriarte buzzed Ortiz with a left hook halfway through the opening round, then backed him into the ropes and teed off. Ortiz nearly fell through them from the force of the power punishing. Referee Michael Ortega prevented it from happening, stopping the fight at 2:18 of the round. Keep your eye on the Bakersfield kid.