Can Vergil Jr.’s Power Prevail Against Madrimov’s Skill?

WBC interim Junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. will face a much different test in his title defense against the technically skilled Israil Madrimov on February 22nd in Riyadh. The fight will take place in 58 days.

The powerful 26-year-old Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) defeated the power-puncher Serhii Bohachuk by a questionable 12-round majority decision in his last fight on August 10th. Bohachuk dropped Ortiz Jr. twice in the fight.

Vergil Jr. was out-punched by the more powerful Bohachuk throughout the fight but eeked out a controversial decision by getting on his bike for the final four rounds to get the victory.

Ortiz Jr. didn’t choose to give Bohachuk a rematch to clear up the controversy, which is understandable given how much punishment he took in that fight. Bohachuk had beaten Vergil at his own game, out-slugging him and forcing him to move in the last quarter of the contest.

Vergil Jr. vs. Bohachuk Punch Stats

– Ortiz Jr: 265 of 732 punches for 43%
– Bohachuk: 225 of 817 for 36%

Ortiz Jr. wilted under the power of Bohachuk, took a lot of facial damage, was hurt in the later rounds, and was given time out for glove repair. It appeared that he used that to recover.

It will be a different type of fight against Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs), which is faster, more technical, and equally powerful as Bohachuk with his right hand. Vergil Jr’s best chance of winning this fight is with pressure because he doesn’t possess the skills that Madrimov has going for him.

The former WBA junior middleweight champion Madrimov will likely be more aggressive than he was in losing to Terence Crawford, but he won’t use the come-forward pressure that Bohachuk was displaying. That’s not his style. However, Madrimov does possess the power and timing to hurt Ortiz Jr. if he tries to walk him down like he’s been doing with most of his opponents in his eight-year pro career.

Grudge Match

Vergil Jr. and Madrimov have different views about how their sparring went in the past. In an interview with Fight Hub TV, Madrimov, 29, said he didn’t “100%” during the sparring and said Vergil Jr. was just a “normal” boxer.

Ortiz Jr. said to Fight Hub TV about Madrimov’s comments, “He said, ‘He’s a normal boxer, and we went just to play with him.’ To me, that’s throwing shade.”

Madrimov: “There’s nothing really to say. We had a good sparring. He’s athletic, he’s quick. I was helping him in his preparation for his fight at the time. We exchanged experiences. I don’t know what else to say to you

The former amateur star Madrimov lost a close 12-round unanimous decision to Terence Crawford in his last fight on August 3rd in Los Angeles. The scores were 115-113, 116-112 and 115-113.

Many boxing fans felt afterward that Madrimov had come close to beating Crawford and would have won if he’d turned up the heat in the championship rounds. He made Crawford, 37, look his age in that fight.