B efore Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury engage in their rematch at the Kingdom Arena, an attractive junior middleweight contest will take place between Israil Madrimov and Serhii Bohachuk. Both have entertaining styles. Both are rated in the top 10 in the division by Ring Magazine. But what makes this fight a true rarity is that it features two boxers coming off losses. In an era where fighters are protected and coddled, these two are going right back into deep waters. Back in the summer, both Madrimov and Bohachuk suffered hard-luck defeats in competitive fights against elite opposition. However, they performed in a manner that proved there is winning in losing. On August 3, at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, Madrimov was paired with Terence Crawford, who for years has been near the top of pound-for- pound lists. After finally consolidating all the belts of the welterweight class, Crawford had picked Madrimov (who had just captured the WBA 154-pound belt in March by stopping Magomed Kubranov in five rounds) for his junior middleweight debut. The consensus was that the gifted Crawford would simply be too good and experienced for Madrimov, who had just 11 pro bouts under his belt coming into this contest. This was supposed to be a showcase for “Bud,” who wanted to state his case for eventually fighting super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. But a funny thing happened on this warm summer night. Madrimov didn’t go by the script. Using his deft in-and- out movement and sharp lead right hands, he troubled Crawford throughout the fight. It was a tense chess match that saw both boxers have sporadic moments, neither of them ever truly controlling the action for long stretches. After 12 rounds, it was Crawford winning by the scores of 115-113 (twice) and 116-112. You could say it was the toughest fight he’s had in
his accomplished career. More than a few observers believed that Madrimov deserved to retain his belt. Vadim Kornilov, who manages Madrimov, opined: “I thought if he was fighting any other fighter, and the show wasn’t about Crawford, then Madrimov would’ve gotten the win. He was the champion. The guy that is trying to take the title away should be taking the
Bohachuk is The Ring’s No. 6-rated junior middleweight.
title away and not just hanging in there. It shouldn’t matter who he is, and it shouldn’t matter that he was a champion in another weight class.” It was a bitter defeat, but with it came
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