Former interim WBO super welterweight champion Israil Madrimov was in quite the pickle when the stacked February 22nd card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia was revealed to the masses. However, it appears the latest development has cleared the path for the boxer from Uzbekistan. In a twist of a lifetime, the 29-year-old has withdrawn from his fight against Serhii Bohachuk.

You see, Madrimov, who gave former undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford a run for his money during their fight in August, was initially supposed to square off against Bohachuk on the undercard of the highly anticipated fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury on December 21st at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

However, just the other day, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh revealed that Madrimov would be back two months later on the February 22nd card against interim WBC super welterweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr, who by the way defeated Bohachuk in a controversial majority decision fight. This stirred some concerns about whether Madrimov could return for a fight so quickly.

But now, all those confusions are gone, as the Saudi Royal revealed that Madrimov is suffering from “acute bronchitis and has to withdraw from the Dec 21 fight.” His Excellency also revealed that Madrimov will be replaced by “British fighter Ishmael Davis” on the Usyk vs. Fury rematch card later this month.

While all this happened, a boxing YouTuber and a familiar face to most boxing fans, Show Bizz The Adult, called out Madrimov for his alleged actions before the fight. “It was confirmed by doctors this evening that Madrimov is suffering from acute bronchitis and has to withdraw from the December 21st fight against Bohachuk…,” Show Bizz began. 

“That’s duckoroni pizza. Come on man,” he added, alleging Madrimov is just using the diagnosis to get out of the fight against Bohachuk. “But it’s okay, I get it. If there’s ever been a duck I get, it’s this one. When Madrimov vs. Bohachuk was announced we were like that’s diabolical.” 

ShowBizz added that when people claimed Madrimov would beat Bohachuk and then fight Ortiz, he never agreed because “I had Bohachuk [winning]. I am [going to] say he can get whooped by Bohachuk, but he can still fight.” Meanwhile, Madrimov’s promoter has shared his side of the story, explaining what happened. 

Eddie Hearn on the Israil Madrimov & how Ishmael Davis came into the picture

After Madrimov pulled out of the fight, and people started calling him out for ducking Bohachuk, Madrimov’s promoter Eddie Hearn appeared in an interview with IFL TV, where he claimed Madrimov “100%” wanted to fight both boxers. “I know everyone is a conspiracy theorist. Israil Madrimov was 100% fighting Bohachuk, and then 100% fighting [Vergil] Ortiz, provided he won and was in good shape,” Hearn claimed. 

Hearn suggested that Madrimov wasn’t well to begin with, so he went to the doctor to get checked out, and that’s when he was diagnosed with bronchitis. So, the Matchroom honcho claimed that he went back to His Excellency, noting, “He said, ‘Who is ready?’ His Excellency loves Ishmael Davis because he took the Josh Kelly [fight] on one week’s notice. He said, ‘Give me three or four options.’ I gave him three or four options.”

Madrimov’s promoter claimed the Saudi Royal chose Ishmael Davis. Notably, Davis is coming off a fight against Josh Kelly on September 21st, which he lost via majority decision at Wembley Stadium in London. “The difference is that he wasn’t fit against Josh Kelly. He wasn’t really in camp,” Hearn added. 

It appears, legitimate diagnosis or not, Israil Madrimov has been labeled by critics as a ‘duck’ after he had to pull out of the fight against Serhii Bohachuk. But the real question is, do you think Madrimov faked his diagnosis to avoid Bohachuk?