Boxing legend admits fight was close and stadium ‘played a role in counting’
Former world champion in the middle and light heavyweight categories Bernard Hopkins commented on the unobvious victory of his compatriot Virgil Ortiz over the Ukrainian Sergei Bogachuk for the WBC interim light middleweight title.
“I wasn’t sure Ortiz won on the scorecards, but I was sure he did enough to win. I thought he took the punches when it mattered. I thought the fans enjoyed the fight.”
“When a fight is that close, it’s a preview of Micky Ward vs. Arturo Gatti. They fought brutally round after round, taking very few breaks. These were close rounds for the count. We understand and see that the stadium played a role in the count. But I think the judges counted correctly, and we move on,” the legendary American concluded.
Let us recall that the fight took place on the night of August 11 in Las Vegas. The fight was equal and as close as possible. During the confrontation, the Ukrainian knocked his opponent down twice, although Virgil himself does not think so. Nevertheless, the referee’s decision was in favor of the local boxer: one referee counted it as a draw in his notes (113:113), and the other two gave a minimal advantage to Ortiz (114:112, 114:112).
One way or another, this result means the following: Ortiz took the WBC interim champion title from Bogachuk and remained undefeated in the professional ring.
Robert Garcia, Ortiz’s trainer, believes that the Ukrainian “definitely deserves a rematch.” The likelihood of a repeat fight is not zero, especially if the American’s side fails to agree on a fight with former absolute champion in two weight categories Terence Crawford.
Source: Sportarena
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
