The embers of the August 3 Terence Crawford–Israil Madrimov fight had yet to cool when boxing witnessed a full-on-throttle battle in Nevada’s Michelob Ultra Arena. Eager to mark his presence in the light middleweight division, Vergil Ortiz Jr. fought WBC’s reigning (interim) champion, Serhii Bohachuk. Given his 100% KO record, most expected that the Grand Prairie-born, unbeaten boxer would simply glide through and earn his wings. But the Ukrainian, with 23 knockouts under his belt, proved that he was no pushover. Rather, he pushed back, round after round. Ortiz Jr. received his belt after twelve tough and gruesome rounds. Given the tightly fought contest, talks of a Bohachuk being robbed of a win soon emerged.

Strong feelings from Serhii Bohachuk about his loss are quite understandable. But many known voices too echoed similar sentiments. Now ‘robbery’ is a strong word in boxing. Only the guy who has been there in the ring knows it better than those outside. Maybe that’s why Caleb Plant decided to dive in and share his perspective on the Ortiz Jr.-Bohachuk fight outcome.

Give credit where it belongs—Caleb Plant

Taking to his X handle, the former super middleweight champion asserted that, to him, Vergil Ortiz Jr. had won the fight. He lauded both boxers for putting on a splendid performance. ‘Sweethands’ said, “He landed the much more affective blows & cleaner shots. He’s pressed a lot of the action.”

According to Plant, it is inappropriate to rule the results of closely contested bouts, where the outcome may not be clear-cut, as straightjacket unfair or ‘robbery’. Unless a fight ends on account of a knockout or a technical stoppage, the judges’ scores primarily determine the results of boxing matches, he highlighted. Thus, by all accounts, Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Serhii Bohachuk’s clash was a hard-fought affair. Neither of the duos could clearly dominate.

Appreciating both for fighting politely, Caleb Plant expressed gratitude for an exciting and high-caliber fight. Like many, the match left a great impression on ‘Sweethands’. He too felt that the bout merited the ‘Fight of the Year’ recognition.

Perhaps the two knockdowns of Serhii Bohachuk, first coming up in the opening round and then next in the eighth, seem to have confused some followers. They started believing that the Ukrainian had done enough to defend his title. But such a one-sided narrative often misses a key aspect: what the other boxer had been doing to counter those setbacks.

Give it a look. One more

In Vergil Ortiz Jr.’s defense, the Grand Prairie-born boxer turned the tide in his favor effectively after the second knockdown. He rallied back during the championship rounds. Using a combination of slick moves and deadly body shots, he wobbled Bohachuk in the pockets. Consequently, the Ukrainian relied heavily on his jabs to maintain the distance. A left hook that Ortiz Jr. threw in the eleventh round especially visibly hurt Bohachuk.

As it usually happens, a fiercely fought battle such as this one by and large restricts itself to the ring center. Nevertheless, to their credit, neither of the boxers backed down from the slugfest. Exuding supreme confidence in his fighter, Oscar De La Hoya asked the audience post-fight, “Were you not entertained?” Then, to a loud cheer, he added, “That was the Fight of the Year, baby.” Yes, it’s true to an extent. Vergil Ortiz Jr.’s vulnerabilities were somewhat exposed in the fight. But not to the extent that he doesn’t deserve the win that he earned.

Do you agree with Caleb Plant’s views on the Ortiz Jr.-Bohachuk fight?