The fight between former WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov and former WBC interim 154-lb champ Serhii Bohachuk meet in a 12-rounder next month in 29 days on December 21st at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
A Potential Fight of the Night Contender
Madrimov-Bohachuk will meet in the co-feature spot on the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2 card. There’s an excellent chance that Madrimov and Bohachuk could steal the show from the main event. That won’t be that hard to do because the previous Fury-Usyk clash earlier this year on May 18th wasn’t that entertaining.
It’s impressive that Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) and Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs) are willing to take such a tough fight after losing their previous matches. Both are in a position where they can’t afford to lose again right now if they want to remain viable options for other big fights.
Madrimov is seen by many as the favorite to win on December 21st due to his recent narrow 12-round unanimous decision loss to Terence Crawford on August 3rd in Los Angeles. ‘Little GGG’ Madrimov lost by the scores 115-113, 116-112 and 115-113.
Bohachuk lost to Vergil Ortiz Jr. by a 12-round majority decision on August 10th in Las Vegas. The scores were 113-113, 114-112 and 114-112.
Madrimov-Bohachuk Taking a Big Risk
“These guys are taking a big risk by jumping right back into another big fight,” said Chris Algieri to Probox TV about the match between Israil Madrimov and Serhii Bohachuk on December 21st.
Considering the bleak alternative they’d face, it’s not that big of a risk. If Madrimov and Bohachuk weren’t willing to take this risky match, it could take a long time for them to get another big fight. Neither guy is popular in the U.S., and they would need to beat some solid contenders like Erickson Lubin, Charles Conwell, and Tim Tszyu to position themselves for a crack at a title.
“Two losses back to back, that’s really hard to come back from. As long as these guys perform and put on a good show, I think we’re going to see both guys around,” said Algieri. “This division is deep, but these guys are excellent, and they belong in that top five group when you’re talking about 154-pounders.”
Madrimov disappointed some fans with his failure to fight aggressively in the championship rounds against the 37-year-old Crawford. Despite having the size, power, youth, and experience advantage at 154 over Crawford, Madrimov didn’t let his hands go to fight hard in the last four rounds from nine through twelve.
“Maybe it’s because they’re Eastern Europeans. Maybe it’s because a guy like Madrimov is fast-tracking because of his amateur background. Bohachuk took a lot earlier in his career to Brandon Adams,” said Algieri.
“Both of them have to battle back, especially for Bohachuk. ‘I have to go after this now, or I have to hang it up.’ How is this happening? Turki Alalshikh putting out the money to let these guys take chances. They’re going to get paid and have a big platform.”
Without the money that Bohachuk and Madrimov are getting, they’d have probably chosen to play it safe against a weaker opponent rather than take this risky match. On paper, they both look brave taking this fight, but what fans don’t realize is that they’re getting paid well. The Fury-Usyk 2 undercard is poor, so at least one good fight needed to be added to it.
“I like the shift that we’re seeing that you don’t have to have an O to be on one of these big cards,” said Algieri.
“I’m all in for Madrimov. He still carries himself like a champion. He lost by a hair [to Terence Crawford]. I believe he believes he won that fight. I rate Madrimov behind Crawford as the best guy in the division.”
