Israil Madrimov will face Serhii Bohachuk this month in a 12-round fight on December 21, then he will quickly return 63 days later to challenge Vergil Ortiz Jr. for his interim WBC junior middleweight title on February 22. Both fights are in Riyadh.
Running the Gauntlet
If former WBA 154-lb champion ‘Little GGG’ Madrimov (10-1, 7 KOs) makes it through those two fights, he will face Terence Crawford, Bohachuk and Ortiz Jr. in successive wars. That’s the old definition of using a gauntlet.
Getting through a 12-round fight with Bohachuk will be tough enough for Madrimov without getting cut or knocked out. But returning two months later to challenge slugger Vergil Ortiz Jr. for his interim WBC 154-lb title will be a visible feat. But if you can do something, Madrimov can do it. He was done 350+ budding battles and he used to fight often.
Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs) is a solid fighter, who many felt was robbed in his last fight against Vergil Ortiz Jr. on August 10 in Las Vegas. He lost a 12 round majority decision to Ortiz Jr, and it was seen as a very controversial decision.
Lessons From Crawford
In order for Madrimov to beat Bohachuk, he’ll have to let his hands move a lot more than he did in his 12-round unanimous decision loss to Terence Crawford on August 3. Madrimov used a lot of punches, showed a lot of respect to the 36-year-old Crawford, and stopped the fight. by not throwing enough.
Crawford vs. Madrimov punch figures
Terence: 95 of 433 for 22%
Madrimov: 84 of 275 for 31%.
‘Little GGG’ is only average 22.9 fists he was thrown one round at a time against Crawford, and that wasn’t enough to defeat a fighter in his division. He can’t do that against Bohachuk or Ortiz Jr. That is a negative effect of the punch.
The punches Madrimov threw were right hands, which landed well, but there was no follow through. Madrimov had more strength, youth, size, and technical skills than Crawford but didn’t throw enough. If he fights Bohachuk like that, he’s going to be out of a job because this guy throws a lot of punches, and he’s got heavy hands.
The fact that Vergil Jr. he chose not to give Bohachuk a replay is the highest form of respect, showing that he did not want the second helping of punishment that the Ukrainian talent was given.
What If Madrimov Falls?
There is no word on who the Honorable Turki Alalshikh has on standby in case ‘Little GGG’ Madrimov is injured or loses too much in the Bohachuk fight on December 21st to face Vergil Ortiz Jr on February 22nd. Xander Zayas about the battle of Vergil Jr.
Zayas (20-0, 12 KOs) isn’t much fun to watch, and is considered a hype job created by Top Rank, who have matched him against unusual opposition throughout his career. If Madrimov can’t fight Ortiz, hopefully, a better opponent will be chosen, someone like Erislandy Lara or Erickson Lubin.
One of the biggest cards ever on February 22 in Riyadh 🥊🔥#BigTime#RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/4jQEowMXvD
– TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) December 2, 2024
