26-year-old Grand Prairie-born Vergil Ortiz Jr has finally done it, claiming the WBC world title by defeating WBC super welterweight interim champion, Serhii Bohachuk. The decision win not only gave the youngster the spotlight to launch his career but also made him immensely richer.
Golden Boy Promotions chose this weekend to showcase its card, featuring a main-event bout between Ortiz Jr and Ukraine’s Bohachuk at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. As per Sportysalaries.com, the win got the American racking up millions, $2 mil to be precise courtesy of his 60% PPV cut as opposed to Bohachuk’s $40% who will take home $900k. Note that the final numbers are strictly based on the PPV numbers.
As for the base salaries. The two boxers have snagged commendable purses with Ortiz Jr getting $500k and Bohachuk bagging $350k. Now, coming to the fight itself, despite the Ukrainian’s efforts, Vergil distanced himself with a stellar performance in the later rounds, winning on two judges’ scorecards while the third one scored it as a draw.
Ortiz Jr secures a thumping win downing Bohachuk in Vegas
With his WBC interim super welterweight title on the line, Serhii Bohachuk eyed a decisive win to rack up the WBC super welterweight title. However, although he was able to capture the belt from Brian Mendonza, the 29-year-old couldn’t emulate his past performance on Saturday despite securing an early knockdown in the very first round.
What could be fight of the year so far, Vergil Ortiz Jr. defeats Serhii Bohachuk by majority decision to win the interim WBC junior middleweight title, getting off the floor twice, scores reading as 113-113 DRAW & 114-112 x2.
pic.twitter.com/6owsyk2KFl— 𝑲𝒏𝒐𝒄𝒌𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝑱𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒔 (@KOJournals) August 11, 2024
Both fighters put the foot on the pedal and went guns blazing from the get-go with Bohachuk landing a thudding overhand on Ortiz Jr in the first to secure a knockdown. However, unfazed by this, the American came back strongly in the later rounds. He was in fact, leading on the cards and this prompted a valiant late rally by the Ukrainian after the midway mark, yet again knocking down the 26-year-old in R8.
Changing his strategy after round 10, Ortiz Jr stayed on course, throwing jabs and finding his mark. By this point, Bohachuk appeared fatigued and considerably slower with the American going all out on him. However, despite the wobbly legs, the Ukranian weathered through and even landed a few bone-crunching shots of his own.
Still, it wasn’t enough and once the bell sounded, two of three judges scored in favor of Ortiz Jr, handing the win to the American.
