Vergil Ortiz Jr will still be returning in August, and Mike Coppinger of ESPN.com is reporting today that as rumored, Serhii Bohachuk will be his next opponent.
Ortiz was slated to face Tim Tszyu — who was forced to withdraw — on the Aug. 3 Riyadh Season pay-per-view from Los Angeles, but Ortiz vs Bohachuk won’t happen on that Terence Crawford-led card. Instead, the fight will headline on Aug. 10 in Las Vegas.
Top Rank and ESPN do have Luis Alberto Lopez vs Angelo Leo set for that same date, if you’re wondering about competition for your eyeballs.
The 26-year-old Ortiz (21-0, 21 KO) didn’t fight at all in 2023 due to some health issues, returning on Jan. 6 this year to stop Fredrick Lawson in two minutes, 33 seconds. He followed that by taking six more seconds to put Thomas Dulorme away on Apr. 27.
Ortiz has moved up to the 154 lb division with those fights, though he’s had contract weights a bit over that limit.
Ukraine’s Bohachuk (24-1, 23 KO) is a good opponent and, like Tszyu, should make for an action-packed fight between two guys who pack some punch. Bohachuk had an upset loss against Brandon Adams in 2021 on the short-lived “Ring City USA” series, and has otherwise largely toiled on smaller shows promoted by Tom Loeffler.
The 29-year-old made his mark on a PBC show in March, beating Brian Mendoza by clear decision.