In easily the most attractive fight this weekend, we have Vergil Ortiz Jr. contesting for Serhii Bohachuk’s interim WBC super welterweight title. Here is our Ortiz Jr vs Bohachuk prediction.
Ortiz Jr vs Bohachuk Prediction: No More Training
These two certainly knew that they would face each other one day and that time has come. Ortiz and Bohachuk used to train together in 2021 while Ortiz was preparing for his fight against Egidijus Kavaliauskas.
Per his words, they’ve sparred for over 50 rounds and he is completely familiar with his style. This will be an incredible matchup. Let’s take a closer look at who’s fighting.
As an amateur, Ortiz won multiple US Championships in various categories and was a finalist in the Golden Gloves tournament. He turned pro in 2016 when he was 18 and is under contract with Oscar De La Hoya.
Ortiz gained attention by finishing the former challenger Mauricio Herrera in his welterweight debut. Then, he won his first belt by defeating Antonio Orozco for the WBA Gold title.
By the end of 2021, his record was already decorated with victories over former champion Maurice Hooker and former challenger Egidijus Kavaliauskas. He was supposed to fight for the WBA World Champion belt with Eimantas Stanionis but the fight was cancelled twice.
Due to the weight cut, Ortiz had serious health problems and was forced to spend 1.5 years out of the ring, and he has been fighting at super welterweight since his return. He won his last couple of fights with knockouts in the opening rounds.
This will be a considerable step up for Vergil Ortiz Jr. and a win should send him straight to a title shot later this year. With this said, let’s take a closer look at the interim champion before we give our Ortiz Jr vs Bohachuk prediction.
As an amateur, Bohachuk became a national champion for several years in a row and in different categories. He attracted attention in 2016 in a fight in the semi-professional WSB league – he snatched a sensational victory over the Olympic champion Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo.
Bohachuk signed a contract with promoter Tom Loeffler and got an experienced mentor – Abel Sanchez. In the first 2 years of his professional career, he had 12 fights. Since 2019, Serhii has been fighting better opponents and this improvement led to the replacement of Sanchez with Manny Robles.
The Ukrainian won the WBC Continental Americas title and made one successful defense. In the second, he lost by a late knockout to Brandon Adams, although he was dominating the match and was going to win it via decision. To date, this is his only defeat with a record of 24-1.
In March 2024, he was supposed to fight for the vacant WBC title with Sebastian Fundora. At the last moment, the organizers made changes to the card – Bohachuk was given Brian Mendoza and his win made him the interim WBC champion.
Our Vergil Ortiz Jr vs Serhii Bohachuk Prediction: An Ortiz Jr. Knockout or a Bohachuk Decision?
This will be a brutal fight and it truly could go either way. Therefore, we have a different idea for our Ortiz Jr vs Bohachuk prediction. Instead of a winner, bet on the over. The likelihood of this fight entering the late rounds is huge. The odds for over 8.5 rounds are great.
Ortiz will have the advantage in speed and timing. Bogachuk will have the advantage in anthropometry and power. Given the fighters’ styles, the fight will almost certainly turn into a massacre at some point.
Bohachuk boxes as the number one, tries to pin his opponents against the ropes, prefers close and middle distances, combines well, and never stops punching. Even Ortiz said this in a recent interview.
The American is a more traditional fighter. He likes to first probe with a jab and 1-2s from afar, then gradually begins to press more aggressively, moves to the middle distance, and tries to land different combinations.
Ortiz is one of those fighters who is dangerous at any second. He will wait, intercept, and counter. He finished all 21 of his fights. He will have to look for a knockout here because otherwise, Bohachuk’s high work rate could earn him a win on the scorecards.
Vlad is a former amateur MMA fighter. After a series of injuries, he found a different way to connect with the sport and its fanbase - through writing. He's been covering everything-UFC for over 5 years on various platforms and has been part of the team at NYFights since early 2022.
