Former interim WBC junior middleweight champion Serhii Bohachuk is predicting a KO victory for his replacement, Ishmael Davis, in their 12-round support fight this Saturday, December 21. The bout will be live on DAZN PPV on the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2 card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Davis (13-1, 6 KOs) is fresh off a loss to Josh Kelly on September 21 and is said to be a fighter that Turki Alalshikh is high on despite his recent defeat.
An unbalanced matchup
Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs) says he beat Kelly in the amateurs. Even if he doesn’t, Bohachuk’s fight with Ismaele figures to be a bad match. Davis, 29, is a lower level/domestic level fighter.
It’s too bad a better fighter wasn’t found to be Bohachuk’s replacement opponent because Davis isn’t good enough to make this fight interesting. He showed no power and looked poor in his loss to Josh Kelly. He made Kelly look like a power puncher in that fight, and he’s not.
Ismael Davis’ recent opponents
– Josh Kelly: MD 12 Loss
– Troy Williamson
– Ewan Mackenzie
– Lesther Espino
– Dustin Amman
– Gabor Gorbics
Ishmael Davis is old enough to fight this level of opposition, but his fight against Josh Kelly showed that he is not good enough to beat world class opponents.
Although Kelly is ranked high, he should be in the bottom 14 or 15 places. Kelly’s sixth round loss to David Avanesyan in 2021 and 10 round draw against Ray Robinson in 2019 showed his level or lack thereof.
Bohachuk lost a controversial 12-round majority decision to Vergil Ortiz Jr. on August 10 in a fight that left a black eye on the sport. He shouldn’t have lost, but the Las Vegas judges gave it to the popular fighter.
Vergil Jr. he was dropped twice in the fight and forced to run out of the eighth round due to the punishment he had taken. Ortiz Jr. he was likely saved from a knockout in the 11th round when the action was stopped for a glove repair. He was injured at the time of the timeout.
“Ishmael Davis is smart, he’s strong and he’s in good condition. He’s here and in good shape. He looks big and strong,” said Serhii Bohachuk to BoxNation on his substitute opponent, Ishmael Davis, who fights this Saturday, December 21 in Riyadh.
“I saw him in the restaurant now. He’s a good guy. He smiled. I saw his fight (with Josh Kelly). Pressure, moves, can change his position from left to right. He’s an interesting boxer. He’s a good experience for me, and a good fight for my career,” said Bohachuk about his fight against Ishmael Davis.
“Of course I can stop (Davis). I’m ready for Madrimov. Of course I can stop him. I can talk in the fight. I’ll show you in the fight.”
Bohachuk will walk Ishmael Davis and strike him out on Saturday night. Davis only goes the distance in this fight if he runs, which he likely will do throughout the contest. He does not possess staying power in the pocket against Bohachuk and will be mowed down quickly if he tries.
Bohachuk picks Usyk out of anger
“Usyk wins by decision or KO. If Fury is ready for this fight, Usyk can win by decision,” said Bohachuk. “If Fury is not ready for this fight, Usyk will KO him in the next rounds, maybe in nine or eleven rounds,” said Bohachuk, giving his prediction on the main event fight between the unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.
“I don’t think I lost the fight with Vergil (Ortiz), and I think Madrimov wants to fight Vergil in the next fight. I’m ready for Madrimov. When he beats Vergil, I’m ready for him. He’s a good boxer, he’s strong , and it’s an interesting fight for me,” said Bohachuk.
