Instant Classic: Virgil Ortiz Taken Down Twice, But Still Outlasts Serhii Bohachuk in War of Attrition
By: Sean Crose
Virgil Ortiz 21-0 stepped between the ropes at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night to face his biggest challenge yet, Serhii Bohachuk 24-1. Not only was Bohachuk’s interim WBC super welterweight title at stake in the scheduled 12-round bout, but so was each fighter’s lucrative and famous future. With names like Terence Crawford and Tim Tszyu potentially on the horizon, both Ortiz and Bohachuk have every reason in the world to be motivated to give it their all in the ring on Saturday.
Ortiz started the first round by throwing heavy punches. Not that Bohachuk allowed himself to be a punching bag. Ortiz slipped in the exciting opening round (at least it was initially considered a slip), but neither of them officially went to the mat. The second round saw Ortiz chopping his opponent down with body shots while Bohachuk landed straight punches. Ortiz slowed down a bit in the third round, but he was still working hard to attack Bohachuk. Furthermore, Ortiz showed superior defense thanks to effective head movement.
The fight started at a slow pace in the fourth. Bohachuk did well, although Ortiz’s defense once again served him well. It took a while for the fifth round to really get going, as what was supposed to be a slip that sent Ortiz to the mat in the first round was turned into a knockdown – a potentially game-changing blow. The fifth round itself was largely fought in a phone booth, with both men fighting well. They fought at a steady pace in the sixth. It was a tight fight, but by the middle of the round, Ortiz seemed to be gaining the upper hand.
Bohachuk landed solid shots to the head and body in the seventh. A sharp left hook dropped Ortiz in the eighth. Ortiz got up and attacked Bohachuk ferociously for the rest of the round. Simply put, the ninth round was a war of attrition. Ortiz began moving around the ring and jabbing in the tenth. It was a strategy that proved effective. Ortiz continued to use this strategy in the first half of the eleventh. Then he rocked Bohachuk… but the Ukrainian fought back.
The twelfth and final round saw Bohachuk injured early. The fight had to be stopped for a moment so one of Ortiz’s gloves could be re-taped. The rest of the fight consisted of – like the entire fight – constant fighting. When the scores were read, Ortiz was the winner by majority decision from the judges.
