Above: Ortiz (left) answered a lot of questions with his victory over Bohachuk. (Photo by Adam DelGiudice)

VERGIL ORTIZ JR.

The Ring welcomed Vergil Ortiz Jr. back into the rankings following his rousing majority decision over Serhii Bohachuk on August 10.

The hard-fought victory did more than establish Ortiz (22-0, 21 KOs) as a top contender in a new weight class, it rejuvenated a promising career that had stagnated due to serious health issues in previous years.

The 26-year-old boxer-puncher was dropped from The Ring’s welterweight rankings due to inactivity in late 2023. Ortiz sat out much of 2022 and all of 2023 due to rhabdomyolysis, a potentially life-threatening condition that causes extreme fatigue and muscle weakness. 

The Grand Prairie, Texas native was forced to withdraw from three scheduled bouts and had been hospitalized at least twice, but time off and a move to the 154-pound division (where he didn’t have to put as much strain on his body making weight) was expected to get him back on the right track.

However, two bouts into his 2024 campaign, the questions remained: Can he go through a hard training camp without suffering a rhabdo relapse? Can he safely make weight? Can he go the distance in a tough fight without hitting the proverbial wall?

Fights vs. Frederick Lawson and Thomas Dulorme didn’t give us much information.

Ortiz weighed in a little over the junior middleweight limit for both bouts (156 pounds for Lawson in January and 155½ for Dulorme in April) and neither opponent was expected to provide much in the way of professional resistance. Lawson is a game gatekeeper; Dulorme’s a former contender whose best days were several years ago. 

Ortiz blasted both in the opening round (although it should be noted that Lawson’s stoppage was considered grossly premature).

It was clear that Ortiz’s punch resistance and stamina would not be tested until he shared the ring with a legitimate 154-pound contender. 

Enter Bohachuk, a relentless slugger who had won all but one of his 24 pro victories by stoppage. The one bout that went the distance – a brutal 12-round drubbing of rugged veteran Brian Mendoza in March – earned the Ukrainian the No. 5 spot in The Ring’s junior middleweight rankings.

Bohachuk wasn’t there to help Ortiz rejuvenate his career. (Photo by Adam DelGiudice)

Bohachuk would ask Ortiz the hard questions the only way he knows how – with heavy-handed volume punching and suffocating pressure. 

Ortiz, who weighed in at 153.8 pounds (same as Bohachuk), was forced to answer the only way he knew how – by bombing his antagonist with maximum leverage, round after round.

Yes, he can safely make junior middleweight. Yes, he can take a shot (lots of them) from a legit 154-pound puncher. And yes, the KO artist who had never fought past nine rounds can go the championship distance in a punishing battle of attrition.

This one was more than a “tough fight.” Ortiz and Bohachuk delivered a Fight of the Year frontrunner. To edge it out on the official scorecards, Ortiz had to box to the best of his ability and do more than display his vaunted punching power. He had to show character by getting up from two knockdowns – flash knockdowns, to be fair, but both legit – and he had to sweep the final three rounds in the eyes of all three judges.

The first knockdown (off a right hand that landed above Ortiz’s ear) occurred in the opening round. The fall looked harmless. Ortiz lurched forward to one knee, as though off balance, and used his gloves to push himself immediately back to his feet. Referee Harvey Dock ruled it a slip. However, the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s ringside officials (which included veteran ref/judge Robert Byrd) in charge of “instant” replay review, overruled Dock at the behest of Bohachuk’s promoter, Tom Loeffler, between Rounds 4 and 5 (which caused an odd delay at the start of Round 5 as the referee and both fighters were notified of the change). What was likely a 10-9 round for Ortiz, became a 10-8 round for Bohachuk.

Ortiz had to dig himself out of a hole after getting knocked down twice. (Photo by Adam DelGiudice)

Prior to that call, Bohachuk had set a torrid pace that Ortiz was more than willing to keep. Despite his high guard, the 29-year-old contender was an open target for Ortiz’s shotgun jabs, jolting hooks and crosses, and loaded body shots. 

However, Bohachuk, who eschewed his height and reach advantages for a crowding attack, remained persistent. His punches were not as sharp or powerful as Ortiz’s, but they got through, especially his right cross.  

Ortiz bled from his left eye and the bridge of his nose by Round 7. Despite a fine display of boxing skills that included good head movement and savvy footwork, Ortiz was unable to separate himself from the underdog. 

He was being pulled into the kind of dogfight that Bohachuk relishes. Round 8 delivered a pivotal moment in the fight for the former gym mates and sparring partners. A sneaky left hook produced the second knockdown of the fight. It was quick. If you blinked, you might’ve missed it, and Ortiz was convinced that he had slipped. However, a punch landed and both of his gloves touched canvas. Technically, that’s a knockdown, and judges will almost always award a 10-8 round to the fighter who scores it.   

It could have been a demoralizing moment for Ortiz, but it only served to enrage him and trigger his inner warrior. He lashed out at Bohachuk with a vengeance.  

The questions Ortiz had to answer with this fight were generally of a physical nature, given his health issues, but if you ever doubted his fighting spirit, he showed it down the stretch.

Most of the media and the oddsmakers, who made Ortiz as high as a 5-to-1 favorite while setting the over-under as low as 6.5 rounds, were surprised the fight went the distance. Ortiz expected – and welcomed – a 12-round gut check. 

“I sparred this guy before,” he said during a media workout in Los Angeles the week before fight week. “He’s a very tough opponent. This is the fight I’m taking the most seriously. I’m not going to be able to stop everybody – I wish I could, but the reality is there’s probably going to be a few guys I’m not going to be able to get out of there.

“This guy is most likely going to be that guy.”

Ortiz agreed with the fans and media that predicted a Fight of the Year candidate.

“Oh, fuck yeah!” he said. “I’ve been waiting for a fight like this. I’ve just been waiting for that opportunity. We had some setbacks, but I feel like I’m better than ever now and this is the perfect fight to showcase it.”

Now that he’s done it, he’s a major player at junior middleweight, where more formidable challenges await.

There’s this month’s cover star, future hall-of-famer Terence Crawford, the newly crowned WBA beltholder. There’s WBO/WBC titleholder Sebastian Fundora and the winner of next month’s Bakhram Murtazaliev-Tim Tszyu clash for the IBF strap. And, of course, there’s Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs), who remains a top contender and very much deserving of a rematch (more than a few observers believe “El Flaco” earned a close points victory or a draw verdict).

It’s not an easy road in front of Ortiz, but we know now that he’s got the tangibles and intangibles to travel it.