Golden Boy promoter Bernard Hopkins still denied that his boxer Vergil Ortiz Jr. knocked down twice by WBC junior middleweight champion Serhii Bohachuk last Saturday night at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.
An Uncontroversial Victory?
Rather than be happy about Vergil’s controversial 12-round victory over Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs), Hopkins went on to talk about Ortz Jr.’s knockout. in the eighth round. It was already confirmed on instant replay that it was legal, caused by a punch from Bohachuk.
Looking at it from a possible Hopkins angle. If both knockdowns had been removed, Vergil’s victory would have been less controversial in the eyes of the world than it is now. In other words, it wouldn’t be seen as a street robbery when the most popular fighter, Vergil Jr, was given an unfair win over a fighter who appeared to beat him in the eyes of the fans.
There will still be some controversy because Bohachuk fought well enough to win 8-4 or 9-3, but it wouldn’t be that bad. The judges gave it to Vergil 113-113, 114-112 and 114-112. However, the boxing world saw Bohachuk win and defeat the trio.
Hopkins says he wants Vergil Ortiz to “get his shot,” which I think is code for wanting him to fight Terence Crawford next. If Vergil continues, he will continue to be seen as a pampered hero who should lose his record.
Denying the Truth
“Even though we didn’t have instant replay, the audience saw that it was a slip and not a knock down,” Golden Boy promoter Bernard Hopkins said on Fight Hub TV’s YouTube channel about his unbeaten bout with Vergil Ortiz Jr. down in the eighth round by Serhii Bohachuk.
Hopkins may not like this, but replays showed that Vergil was knocked out by Bohachuk in the eighth round. That was not a slip. It was a punch that landed, making Vergil go down.
“The referees don’t see everything. Things happen. It’s human error or just a bad angle,” said Hopkins. “I want to see now Vergil get his shot to be a star. He is a star now but he is a star. Move on to the next one when he is healed, licks his wounds, and will be back there at the right time.”
Yes, the referees can’t see everything, but neither can the judges, and that was clear when they saw who won. The replay clearly showed that Vergil was knocked down by a punch in the eighth round, hence the knockout. If it was a slip, it would roll.
Gifted Decision
It doesn’t matter now. Vergil got this ironic win and will have to live with being seen as getting a gifted decision like many A-side fighters over the years. If he and Golden Boy want to do the right thing, they could take the high ground and give Bohachuk a rematch, perhaps in New York, where it would be a neutral venue.
“Yes, I think that there will be a fight like the others who say it is a fight. There were some cycles. It could have gone to any guy. Those fights can be done, and those fights will be done,” said Hopkins when he was told that former WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu is determined to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Almost every round of the Bohachuk-Ortiz Jr. fight. it could have gone to any boy, but surprisingly, they all went to Vergil Jr. That’s why there’s so much conflict: He was hit twice, which meant he had to settle for four points.
“The best want to fight the best. I think this is the time when people will see the best fight. That’s what Golden Boy and others echoed in what we were doing and what we saw them say,” said Hopkins.
If Hopkins is determined to get the best to fight the best, he and the Golden Boy staff will continue to fight like Bohachuk vs. Vergil Jr. This was 8-year-old Ortiz’s first fight in eight years. he fought a good opponent, and many fans felt defeated. Interestingly, Hopkins didn’t push hard in this interview for a rematch.
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