Tonight’s DAZN PPV co-feature fight between Serhii Bohachuk and Ishmael Davis has an excellent chance of stealing the show from Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2 rematch in the main event at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Bohachuk-Davis: Steal the Show?
The former WBC interim junior middleweight champion, Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs), was involved in what many believe was the fight of the year in his last contest against Vergil Ortiz Jr. on August 10th. Bohachuk knows only one way to fight: attack nonstop. In contrast, the Fury-Usyk 2 headliner might end up being a chess match and lack drama.
To save the card, Bohachuk and Davis will need to bring excitement to the fans who order the event live on DAZN PPV. The undercard is absolutely horrid, and this IS the only good fight apart from the main event. That one might not be a great one if Fury grapples like a bear and Usyk boxes. Bohachuk-Davis will be an actual fight, and there’s virtually guaranteed to be a knockout.
Davis Upset Bohachuk?
Ishmael Davis (13-1, 6 KOs) is going to fight more aggressively, knowing that this is his big chance to keep being included on Turki Alalshikh’s cards. He knows that if he wins this match against Bohachuk, it’ll earn him another nice payday.
Bohachuk vs. Davis is a WBC 154-lb title eliminator. The winner will be the mandatory for champion Sebastian Fundora. However, they likely won’t get a title shot against whoever holds the WBC belt because Fundora has a fight expected to happen against Errol Spence Jr. in early 2025, and he could choose to face interim champion Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Still, whoever emerges victorious in tonight’s battle between Bohachuk and Davis will eventually get a shot at the world title, whether in 2025 or 2026.
“I have a feeling this one is going to get going from the first round. Bohachuk is going to start in from where he left off when he fought Vergil Ortiz [on August 10th]. That was maybe fight of the year. That was fantastic,” said Ade Oladipo to DAZN Boxing, talking about Serhii Bohachuk at the weigh-in for his fight this Saturday night against Ishmael Davis.
Bohachuk will force Ishmael to fight more aggressively than he normally does because he will be walked down the entire fight. Davis uses a three-step drop after throwing shots or when he’s pursued, but that approach will not work against Bohachuk because he will be cutting off the ring, forcing him to brawl.
The normal dive & clinch that Davis uses won’t work well if he tries that tactic tonight because Bohachuk is good at hitting opponents when they’re trying to grab him. He’s also good at fighting while being held. Davis may not last long if he does choose a different strategy in this fight. Again, this is an important fight for Davis, and he’s got to go all out if he wants to win. He’s not going to win by outboxing Bohachuk. That’s what he said he’s going to try.
Bohachuk Favored
“It’s still a WBC final eliminator. This is one of the easier picks. A lot of people thought Bohachuk defeated Vergil Ortiz. I love Bohachuk in this fight,” said Dan Rafael to BetUs. “He’s got 24 wins with 23 of them by knockout. The only guy that went the distance with him was Vergil Ortiz.
“He does have a knockout loss back several years ago [against Brandon Adams on March 4, 2021]. Bohachuk wins this fight. I think he knocks out his opponent [Davis]. I think he wins. I think he’s going to show his stuff and put himself in a position to fight for a title.
“While I give Ishmael a lot of credit for taking this fight on short notice and he’s being well-compensated for it, I love Bohachuk in this fight.”
Davis is lucking out by not only getting a fight coming off a 12-round split decision loss to Josh Kelly on September 21st but also fighting in the WBC 154-lb title eliminator. If he can win this fight, he’ll fight for a world title and get a seven-figure payday.
“Ishmael Davis took this fight on very short notice. I think it’s 10 days, if that. He’s a British-level fighter. He’s got one loss. He’s not a big puncher. There are not any big-time wins on his record or medium-sized wins on his record. I’m not saying he’s not good, but he’s never done it before. He doesn’t have much pinching power, and he’s taking the fight on short notice,” said Rafael.
