Up-and-coming junior middleweight Serhii Bohachuk and his promoter Tom Loeffler. Photo by Brandon Rivas
Sebastian Fundora and Serhii Bohachuk will meet for the WBC interim 154-pound title.
Bohachuk’s promoter, 360 Promotions boss Tom Loeffler, told RingTV that the duo will fight March on the undercard of a Premier Boxing Champions show. An official announcement with the date and location of the fight is imminent.
The WBC initially approved the Fundora-Bohachuk fight in November during its annual convention.
Bohachuk (23-1, 23 KOs), The Ring’s No. 10-ranked junior middleweight, was supposed to have a fight to keep himself busy on Jan. 27 at a 360 Promotions show at the Commerce Casino in Commerce, California, but those plans have since changed. he has been ruled out and will now focus on the fight with Fundora (20-1-1, 13 KOs), The Ring’s No. 3 ranked junior middleweight.
“It’s going to be a very fan-friendly fight. Both guys are very offensive-minded wrestlers and strong wrestlers. It will be a great fight between the best ranked in the world. “We’re looking forward to the fight,” Loeffler said in an interview Saturday during a media day at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California, while promoting her upcoming “Hollywood Fight Nights” on the UFC Fight Pass program.
“[Bohachuk] He wishes the fight had happened sooner, but now that it will almost certainly happen in March, he has something to aim for. It will be fireworks from both boys. “The fans are going to be in for a real treat.”
The WBC has Bohachuk ranked as the No. 2 contender and Fundora at No. 3.
The 6-foot-6 Fundora will have a six-inch height advantage and a 10-inch reach advantage in the fight.
Bohachuk, 28 years old had a banner campaign in 2023 defeating credible contenders Patrick Allotey in one round and Nathaniel Gallimore in six rounds.
“El Flaco”’s five-fight winning streak since then suffering the first loss of his career Brandon Adams in 2021 helped him prepare for the fight with Fundora. Bohachuk spent most of 2022 in Ukraine with his family while his home country was fighting a war with Russia.
Fundora, 26, has not fought since suffering the first loss of his career in April. Fundora was surprisingly knocked out by Brian Mendoza in the seventh round of a fight he was winning handily.
After a series of victories against the likes of Jorge Cota, Sergio García, Erickson Lubin and Carlos Ocampo, Fundora’s shocking loss to Mendoza was a huge disappointment. Fundora also lost the WBC interim 154-pound title in the fight, but will look to regain it against Bohachuk.
Jermell Charlo remains the lineal, Ring Magazine, WBC and WBA 154-pound champion. Charlo could still have held the title of undisputed champion even after losing to Canelo Alvarez at 168 pounds in September.
However, WBO sanctioning body semantics elevated Tim Tszyu from interim starter to full starter when Charlo decided to fight Alvarez instead of Tszyu. Charlo voluntarily relinquished the IBF belt rather than face mandatory challenger Bakhram Murtazaliev.
Second-generation Australian star Tszyu already defended the WBO belt by beating Mendoza in October, and is now entertaining the idea of a fight against Vergil Ortiz Jr.
The Fundora-Bohachuk winner now has a chance to force the issue, climb the 154-pound ladder and become a tour de force, like Tszyu has done in recent years.
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and television reporter. He is also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk.[dot]they collect[at]gmail.com or through www.ManoukAkopyan.com.
