Ortiz takes WBC interim title from Bogachuk
Former World Champion Chris Algieri commented on the defeat of the Ukrainian boxer Sergei Bogachuk (24-2, 23 KOs) in a fight for the WBC interim light middleweight title against the WBO International welterweight titleholder Virgil Ortiz (22-0, 21 KO).
“Vergil Ortiz Jr. deserved to win against Sergey Bogachuk. He won more rounds. Control was also on his side. Ortiz showed good boxing skills.”
“The two knockdowns he took were legitimate, but Virgil recovered well from them. Especially the second one, in the eighth round, when he took the rest of the three minutes.”
“Ortiz dug deep when he needed to. He took the 11th and 12th rounds. Virgil threw more punches than we are used to seeing. Bogachuk once again proved that he is a very dangerous puncher, but Ortiz was still more effective.”
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.
However, the judges’ decision was in favor of the local boxer: one referee counted it as a draw in his notes (113:113), while 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.
