Serhiy Bohachuk (25-2, 24 KOs) looked strong and determined on Saturday night, destroying Ismael Davis (13-2, 6 KOs) by sixth-round technical knockout in his WBC Junior middleweight title at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
Davis' trainer pulled him after the sixth round, where he took a lot of hard punches from Bohachuk in the fifth and sixth. It was no longer competitive at that point, and Davis was absorbing tough shots.
Bohachok's relentless attack
Former WBC interim 154-pound champion Bohachuk had a controversial decision loss to Vergil Ortiz Jr. last August, but tonight, he was like a shark, attacking his opponent Davis with powerful shots.
Late in the second round, Bohachuk nailed Davis with a short left hook to the head that flattened him. Fortunately for Davis (29 years old), the knockout came in the final seconds of the round because he could not have escaped if it had happened earlier.
The way Bohachuk chased the Matchroom-promoted Ishmael Davis around the ring was Golovkin's style. In fact, he was like a little GGG in that he put constant pressure on Davis, hitting him hard with punches on the inside and not letting him escape for a moment.
In an interview, Davis said he felt Bohachuk was weak on the inside and thought he could benefit from a close fight. He tried that tonight, and it was a disaster.
Bohachuk was initially supposed to face former WBA junior middleweight champion Israel Madrimov, but he pulled out due to illness.
On track for Fundora
It's a shame he didn't commit to the match because it would have been more interesting to watch than tonight's mismatch. Ishmael Davis is a national level fighter from the United Kingdom. He has only fought once against a world-class fighter, losing to Josh Kelly last September.
With the win, Bohachuk is now the mandatory for WBC junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora. Depending on whether the WBC enforces it, he could potentially have a title shot against him in 2026.
