Vergil Ortiz Jr will collide with former world champion Israil Madrimov on February 22, featuring on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2.
The 26-year-old was rumored to face IBF world welterweight titlist Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis on the stacked Riyadh Season card, with both promising talents putting their unbeaten records on the line.
In a somewhat surprising turn of events, though, Madrimov has now been drafted in to take on the WBC interim super welterweight champion.
And yet, before he locks horns with Ortiz, the dynamic Uzbek must first take care of business on the undercard of Tyson Fury’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
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Israil Madrimov is set to face Serhii Bohachuk before his clash with Vergil Ortiz Jr
Madrimov comes off a terrific performance against four-weight world champion Terence Crawford, losing his WBA trinket following a highly contentious unanimous decision.
But still, the 29-year-old proved that he can mix it with the very best of his division, frustrating the pound-for-pound star, at times, with his punch variety and elite footwork.
Then, shortly after suffering his first professional defeat, Madrimov agreed to return to the ring against crafty operator Serhii Bohachuk on December 21.
Bohachuk, meanwhile, comes off a controversial majority decision loss to Ortiz, despite flooring the American twice in their pulsating contest.
Instead of swerving his upcoming matchup against the Ukrainian, though, it would appear that Madrimov will indeed face him just over two months before his clash with Ortiz.
Will Israil Madrimov have enough time to recover from fighting Serhii Bohachuk?
It goes without saying that Madrimov’s willingness to square off against two of his division’s most elite campaigners – in the space of around two months – is commendable.
However, one has to question the impact that this could have on his preparation, given that most fighters at this level will typically have a 12-week camp before each outing.
Not only that, but the difference in styles – with Bohachuk being a volume puncher and Ortiz fighting in bursts – should add even more complications to his training.
What is more, if ‘The Dream’ were to have a punishing battle with his next opponent, then stepping into the ring with a young, hungry contender soon after may not be such a good idea.