Bohachuk vs Ortiz Jr Preview: Bombs Away Saturday

After a rough two years out of the ring, Vergil Ortiz Jr. of Grand Prairie, Texas (21-0, 21 KOs) appears back on track and roaring down the road toward a world title fight.

On Saturday, his former sparring partner and current WBC Interim Super Welterweight champion Serhii Bohachuk of Ukraine (24-1, 23 KOs) will do his best to put up a roadblock in their main event at the Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Bohachuk vs. Ortiz airs live on DAZN, with the main card starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The undercard fights will air starting at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.

Both fighters made weight at 153.8 pounds, expected by Bohachuk, but less certain by Ortiz Jr. as he settles in at super welterweight.

Vergil Ortiz Jr. Back In Action

Vergil Ortiz Jr. said he knew the left hook he landed was the knockout punch. Photo: Cris Esqueda, Golden Boy Boxing

After repeat bouts of COVID, struggling to make the 147-pound welterweight limit, the muscle-wasting disease rhabdomyolysis, missing a fight when opponent Eimontas Stanionis had an emergency appendectomy, followed by a medical emergency for Ortiz Jr. when he passed out during training, Ortiz Jr. finally seems squared away.

In two fights so far in 2024, Ortiz Jr. has scored first-round knockouts. Stopping Frederick Lawson in January wasn’t a surprise. Stopping the durable veteran Thomas Dulorme of Puerto Rico with a wicked left hook to the body in the first round in April was unexpected.

Serhii Bohachuk Fighting for His Country

Serhii Bohachuk had too much for Brian Mendoza to push back. Photo: Premier Boxing Champions

Bohachuk became part of a Ukrainian boxers' victory parade. He demolished former world champion Brian Mendoza on the Tszyu vs. Fundora undercard, battering him around the ring for his only fight to go the distance.

Two fighters. 45 fights. 44 knockouts. If you’ve bet the over, you’re uninformed. Ortiz Jr. has promised all week it will be pure fighting toe-to-toe.

“I’m here to put work in the ring and prove that I’m the best,” said Ortiz Jr. “I’m all action.”

Bohachuk is the clear underdog, but he’s determined and fights for more than just himself. Ukrainians fight for their country and for national pride.

Team Bohachuk posed in front of the famous MGM Lion in the MGM Grand Hotel lobby. Photo: Courtesy Tom Loeffler/X

“It’s hot now, and tomorrow it will be more hot,” said Bohachuk after the weigh-in. “Tomorrow, come, and you’ll see a very interesting fight. I think maybe knockout tomorrow, I think yes.”

It’s also a matchup of trainers familiar with both fighters and each other. Bohachuk is trained by Manny Robles. Ortiz Jr. is trained by Robert Garcia, after working with Robles himself.

Bohachuk and Ortiz Jr. sparred 50 to 70 rounds, according to Ortiz Jr.’s best guess, as he prepared for his 2021 fight with Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas of Lithuania. Bohachuk doesn’t think it gives either man any particular advantage. “Sparring is sparring. Fight is fight,” said Bohachuk.

Bohachuk vs Ortiz Prediction

Vergil Ortiz Jr. declined to shake hands with Serhii Bohachuk after a beef between the teams. They can settle things on Saturday. Photo: Cris Esqueda, Golden Boy Boxing

While both Ortiz Jr. and Bohachuk stop their opponents, they go about it differently. Ortiz Jr. is the classic one-punch KO killer. Bohachuk is a relentless volume puncher who breaks opponents down punch by punch until they’re beaten into submission.

Ortiz Jr. hasn’t had a lights-out punch landed on him as a pro, but he’s walked through a few hard shots and made it look easy. Bohachuk’s single loss to Brandon Adams in 2021 came on a come-from-behind left hook in the eighth round.

Bohachuk can’t make a mistake and let Ortiz Jr. drill him. It’s hard to see him preventing this for 12 rounds, especially since both promise they’re coming to fight. We predict Ortiz Jr. will be in good form and fired up by a beef between Bohachuk’s team and him. This fight will be over before it hits the halfway mark.

Charles Conwell Gets Co-Main Shot

Charles Conwell looked sharp in April despite a long layoff, stopping Nathaniel Gallimore. Photo: Cris Esqueda, Golden Boy Boxing

Super welterweight Charles Conwell of Cleveland (19-0, 14 KOs) faces Khiary Gray of Worcester, Massachusetts (18-6, 13 KOs). Conwell has the opportunity for a knockout win to impress the fans and work his way toward the top names in this competitive division.

“This is just another stepping stone to what the future holds for me,” said Conwell. “I know I want bigger and better fights each and every time out. I'm looking forward to watching the main event and every other guy in my division, so I can just kick the door in and take over the division.”

Gabriela Fundora Defends Flyweight Title

Gabriela Fundora became the IBF World Flyweight champion in January after beating down veteran Arely Muciño. Photo: Cris Esqueda, Golden Boy Boxing

 IBF World Flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora of Coachella, California (13-0, 6 KOs) would love to extend her knockout streak to three against Daniela Asenjo of Chile (16-3, 3 KOs). The 22-year-old Fundora defines “happy warrior” outside the ring, but she’s all business in the ring.

Golden Boy chairman Oscar De La Hoya says he sees Fundora’s drive in her eyes. “She wants to fight,” said De La Hoya. “It shows in the ring when she throws down … This fight can steal the show.”

Hall of Fame former champion Bernard Hopkins greets Gabriela Fundora at this week's news conference. Photo: Cris Esqueda, Golden Boy Boxing

“It excites me. He’s been in the ring, he’s done this stuff,” said Fundora. “It’s almost like a torch passing. You already know you have the champion mindset, but when another former champion (acknowledges you), it takes it to another level.”

The First Lady Cecelia Braekhus Isn’t Done Yet

Cecelia Braekhus returns to boxing against longtime friend Maricela Cornejo. Photo: Cris Esqueda, Golden Boy Boxing

Among the most accomplished women boxers ever, Cecelia Braekhus of Norway (37-2-1, 9 KOs) will face late replacement Maricela Cornejo of Los Angeles (19-6, 7 KOs) in a WBC Super Welterweight title eliminator.

Cornejo steps in for Ema Kozin of Slovenia when visa problems prevented her from traveling to the U.S. for the fight. “You are an absolute hero for this,” Braekhus said of Cornejo.

Braekhus set the standard as the longest reigning women’s world champion with the most title defenses at welterweight. She now has two losses and a draw in her last four fights. But she decided boxing wasn’t done with her yet. At age 42, she intends to retire as a champion after moving up to the 154-pound division.

Cornejo is a solid performer who’s always ready and game. Her losses comprise a mini-Hall of Fame, including Claressa Shields, Franchon Crews-Dezurn, and Kali Reis. The two are friends and know each other well. She’ll make Braekhus work for a win.

“We're ready for this night, and we're ready to take over the card,” said Cornejo. “And these women, we always put on a great show.”

Undercard Lineup: Priest, Sims, and Iriarte Set To Impress

Eric Priest hopes to make an impression in a middleweight division shy on talent. Photo: Cris Esqueda, Golden Boy Boxing

Eric Priest of Overland Park, Kansas (13-0, 8 KOs) fights Luka Lozo of Croatia (9-2-1, 8 KOs) in a scheduled ten-round middleweight fight. Lozo makes his U.S. debut. It’s difficult to tell whether the knockout wins are meaningful, but Priest will test Lozo.

“Bossman” Kenneth Sims Jr. of Chicago (20-2-1, 7 KOs), a new signing with Golden Boy, intends to impress as he works his way up the super lightweight division rankings against veteran Jonathan Romero of Colombia, based in Las Vegas (35-4, 19 KOs).

“I just want to let the world know that I'm back. It's been a long time, but I'm excited to be with Golden Boy. I'm excited for what the future holds, but right now, we got Saturday to take care of,” said Sims Jr. “If you want to see something spectacular, just tune in Saturday. I'm never in a dull fight.”

Prospect Joel Iriate is quickly getting attention for his flashy knockout wins. Photo: Cris Esqueda, Golden Boy Boxing

Promising prospect Joel Iriarte of Bakersfield, California (3-0, 3 KOs) stays busy against Miguel Ortiz of Massachusetts (3-1, 1 KO). Golden Boy is wasting no time with Iriarte, who they hope can make noise in the open welterweight division. This is Iriarte’s fourth bout in five months, but he’s still fresh, having fought just five rounds total.

“I'm happy that, you know, just the hard work that we put in, day in and day out is just paying off. I like being active. I feel like it keeps me sharp, it keeps me smart. Hopefully, we're on trying to fight for a world title or a title here come soon,” said Iriarte, who thanked Golden Boy for seeing his potential. He hopes to get in a few more rounds Saturday before another knockout win.

“We’re keeping everybody busy,” said De La Hoya. “It excites me that every single fighter here is staying ready and always in the gym.”