By Jaime Estrada [email protected]
Ortiz took to the stage as the official challenger for the interim WBC super welterweight title against champion Bohachuk, known as the Monster of Ukraine, who was the intruder before the fans at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, who witnessed a merciless war from the moment the bell rang, as they did not warm up or limit themselves to studying each other, as they locked themselves in a relentless give-and-take, with Vergil being the one who looked more effective, but made a slip that the referee counted as a slip, but four rounds later the verdict was changed to a knockdown in favor of Bohachuk.
Ortiz, with his left hand as leader, made the difference, causing all the damage possible, walking on fire, and his right hand at dawn for forcefulness, the fight could well have been played out in one of the old telephone boxes because they were not separated even an inch.
Bohachuk kept throwing, but Vergil was undoubtedly more cunning, head-butting and responding effectively, because wherever he put his eye he put the punch. The public was devoted to the cinnamon-skinned warrior, who was cheered on during all the rounds.
Ortiz continued to look for gaps to continue drilling into the soft areas, giving a lesson on how to evade in the tight spaces while still applying pressure with a well-learned aim during training. It was in the fifth round that the verdict was changed to a knockout in the initial round, but Vergil did not say a word and continued to wreak havoc, making sure to put enough grenades on Bohachuk’s body, but he did not cut any wood either.
Ortiz continued to dominate the fight, but in the eighth round he put his glove on the canvas, which seemed like a slip because he was not connected, and luckily for him, it was the second knockdown that seemed to inspire him, because instead of panicking, he landed the best blows of the fight.
In the ninth round, chaos seemed to be approaching for Ortiz, who was wounded in the eyelid and blood obstructed his vision, but he showed his mettle and did not back down at all, although he knew he needed to win the crucial rounds.
And without a doubt the next three rounds were packed by Vergil who put the champion on the edge of his seat, who withstood the storm when it seemed he would be struck down but instead fired up to three shots at point-blank range, but Ortiz again closed convincingly, and there was a slight greeting at the end that left the resentments in the past.
One judge gave the verdict a draw at 113-113, while the other two scored it 114-112 in favor of the new interim WBC super welterweight champion Vergil Ortiz Junior, and there at ringside was next to Oscar de la Hoya the new key character in the most memorable fights, I am referring to the young 42-year-old millionaire Turki Al-Alshikh who has in mind to bring the best of boxing to Saudi Arabia and there is talk of facing Ortiz against Terence Crawford or failing that, facing him against Tim Tszyu. Thus the doors of greatness begin to open for Vergil Ortiz who for the first time in 22 fights did not get his friend chloroform, but he did earn the victory by law, despite the discontent of the Ukrainian.
