The fight between former WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov and former interim WBC 154-lb champion Serhii Bohachuk will meet in a 12-rounder next month in 29 days on December 21 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
A potential fight of the night contender
Madrimov-Bohachuk will meet in the co-feature on the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2 card. There is an excellent chance that Madrimov and Bohachuk could steal the show in the main event. It won’t be that hard to do because the previous Fury-Usyk fight earlier this year on May 18 wasn’t that fun.
It’s impressive that Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) and Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs) are willing to take on such a tough fight after losing their previous bouts. Both are in a position where they can’t afford to lose again now if they want to remain viable options for other big fights.
Madrimov is seen by many as the favorite to win on December 21 due to his recent 12-round unanimous decision loss to Terence Crawford on August 3 in Los Angeles. ‘Little GGG’ Madrimov lost with scores of 115-113, 116-112 and 115-113.
Bohachuk lost to Vergil Ortiz Jr. by a 12-count majority decision on August 10 in Las Vegas. The scores were 113-113, 114-112 and 114-112.
Madrimov-Bohachuk take a big risk
“These guys are taking a big risk to jump into another big fight,” Chris Algieri said Probox TV on the match between Israil Madrimov and Serhii Bohachuk on December 21.
Considering the bleak alternative they would face, it’s not that big of a risk. If Madrimov and Bohachuk were not willing to take this match risky, it could take a long time to have another great fight. Neither man is popular in the United States, 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,” Algieri said. “This division is deep, but these guys are excellent, and they belong in that top five group when you talk about 154 pounds.”
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 did not let his hands down to fight hard in the last four rounds from nine to twelve.
“Maybe it’s because they’re Eastern Europeans. Maybe it’s because a guy like Madrimov is fast because of his amateur history. Bohachuk took Brandon Adams much earlier in his career,” Algieri said.
“The two should fight, especially for Bohachuk. “I have to go after this now, or I have to hang.” How does this happen? Turki Alalshikh who puts the money to let these guys take chances. They have to be paid and have a big platform”.
Without the money that Bohachuk and Madrimov are getting, they would probably have chosen to play it safe against a weaker opponent rather than take this risky match. On paper, they both look brave taking on this fight, but what the fans don’t realize is that they are being paid well. The Fury-Usyk 2 undercard is poor, so at least one good fight has to be added to it.
“I like the turn that we’re seeing that you don’t need an O to be on one of these big cards,” Algieri said.
“I’m all for Madrimov. He always carries himself like a champion. He lost by a hair (to Terence Crawford). I think he believes he won that fight. I rate Madrimov behind Crawford as the best guy in the division “.
