Israil Madrimov is reportedly “unwell,” and will not be fighting Serhii Bohachuk on the Dec. 21 undercard for Usyk vs Fury 2 in Riyadh.
The 29-year-old Uzbek contender does still have his Feb. 22 fight with WBC interim champion Vergil Ortiz Jr, which had been announced for the Beterbiev vs Bivol 2 undercard, also in Riyadh, while Madrimov was still slated to face Bohachuk in a diehard-anticipated fight just two months prior.
In a world where serious contenders simply do not fight two fights like that within a two-month span, it’s going to naturally lead to the assumption that Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KO) simply chose the higher-profile, higher stakes matchup with Ortiz over the one with Bohachuk.
29-year-old Englishman Ishmael Davis (13-1, 6 KO) will replace Madrimov on Dec. 21.
The good news for Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KO) is he still has a fight on a big card, but it’s also not an ideal situation, even if Davis is, on paper, a much easier fight.
Davis stepped in on short notice in September, too, to face Josh Kelly in London, and lost a razor-thin majority decision over 12 rounds. Bohachuk will have to avoid the trap of being disappointed by the step down in profile for his fight, because Davis isn’t a scrub, he can box.
Davis also deserves credit for being willing to take a very tough fight on this sort of notice, and Bohachuk for being willing to face a very different sort of opponent than he’d spent weeks preparing to meet.