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Mike Coppinger, ESPN Boxing Insider
Vergil Ortiz and Serhii Bohachuk are in the process of finalizing a deal for an Aug. 10 junior middleweight fight in Las Vegas, sources told ESPN on Monday.
Ortiz (21-0, 21 KOs) was set to fight former champion Tim Tszyu on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles — part of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov undercard — before the Aussie withdrew last month due to injury.
Now, Ortiz will headline a Golden Boy Promotions on DAZN card one week later. The bout will be Ortiz’s third this year. In January, he ended a 17-month layoff caused by rhabdomyolysis (a condition that occurs when damaged muscle tissue releases its proteins and electrolytes into the blood).
Both of Ortiz’s comeback fights have ended in the first round, wins over Fredrick Lawson and Thomas Dulorme. The matchup with Bohachuk raises Ortiz’s competition level significantly. Texas’ Ortiz, 26, is ESPN’s No. 4 boxer at 154 pounds; Bohachuk is No. 6.
Ukraine’s Bohachuk, 29, is coming off a career-best performance, a wide-points victory over contender Brian Mendoza in March. Bohachuk, 29, suffered his lone pro defeat in March 2021, an eighth-round TKO vs. Brandon Adams.
Source: www.espn.com