Serhii Bohachuk outpoints Mykal Fox in Los Angeles

Junior middleweight contender Serhii Bohachuk made it two wins in a row since his close and controversial loss to Vergil Ortiz Jnr last August, as he comfortably outpointed a defensive but insufficiently elusive Mykal Fox in the main event of 360 Promotions’ Hollywood Fight Nights on Saturday.

The card, held at the Commerce Casino & Hotel in Commerce, California (near Los Angeles), was streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

The fight began with the lanky Fox (6ft 3in, with an 81in reach) predictably using as much real estate as possible: retreating, circling and throwing out a long but light jab as Bohachuk pursued and sought to cut off the ring.

BoxingScene Today: Pacquiao vs Barrios

Manny Pacquiao’s training for Mario Barrios has fans

It presumably was not in Fox’s game plan for Bohachuk, 26-2 (24 KOs), to get inside his long arms early on and land both from mid-range and in the pocket despite Fox’s height and reach advantages, but that was the reality with which he was presented from the opening round.

Fox was not attempting to put anything on his punches, but was just looking to touch and move. That made sense, in that the American had no desire to engage in a firefight with the Ukrainian – but it had no deterrent impact on Bohachuk, who stalked relentlessly forward and attacked with power punches from both hands.

The fourth round hinted at a potential change in the fight’s flow: After a first minute in which Bohachuk’s pressure seemed to have all but eliminated Fox’s footwork, Fox, 24-5 (5 KOs), suddenly hit a rhythm, circling to his right and leaning slightly more into his punches as Bohachuck at once appeared to be flummoxed.

That pattern continued into the fifth, as the combination of Fox’s movement and increased punch output thwarted Bohachuk’s attempts to launch his power shots. It wasn’t a given that Fox was winning these rounds – he very well may have been – but he certainly wasn’t losing them anything like as widely as he had been over the first few frames.

The sixth was something of a return to effectiveness by Bohachuk, whose starting position was a barely perceptible half step or so to the left – enough to put a crimp in Fox’s attempts to glide smoothly to his right as he had been doing.

Fox remained effective in the seventh during the times when he was moving and jabbing, but those times became fewer and farther between as Bohachuk once more dialed in his positioning and range. Fox was also developing a habit of pulling straight back, which Bohachuk exploited willingly with clean overhand rights.

Bohachuk had by now dialed in on a few punches of particular efficacy – primarily a digging left hook to the body, a short lead hook to the jaw and a crisp overhand right – and he deployed them with clear impact in the eighth. Fox was implementing his plan well enough, but that plan, while sufficient to keep him competitive in most rounds, didn’t appear sufficient to carry him to victory. In short, Fox had a good game plan but was simply outgunned.

If anything, Fox retreated and moved even more than before over the first two minutes of the final round, frustrating Bohachuk (if not exactly making a strong case for victory). With a minute to go, Bohachuk was able to trap Fox against the ropes, and although Fox was in time able to escape, Bohachuk remained on the front foot until the final bell.

The judges clearly recognized that Bohachuk was the one, not only pressing the action but also proving far more effective, as they saw him as a wide and unanimous winner by scores of 97-93, 97-93, 98-92.

“I’m ready [to fight again] tomorrow,” Bohachuk said with a smile in the ring afterward. “This was not a hard fight for me.”

Junior middleweight contender Serhii Bohachuk made it two wins in a row since his close and controversial loss to Vergil Ortiz Jnr last August, as he comfortably outpointed a defensive but insufficiently elusive Mykal Fox in the main event of 360 Promotions’ Hollywood Fight Nights on Saturday.

The card, held at the Commerce Casino & Hotel in Commerce, California (near Los Angeles), was streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

The fight began with the lanky Fox (6ft 3in, with an 81in reach) predictably using as much real estate as possible: retreating, circling and throwing out a long but light jab as Bohachuk pursued and sought to cut off the ring.

BoxingScene Today: Pacquiao vs Barrios

Manny Pacquiao’s training for Mario Barrios has fans buzzing.

It presumably was not in Fox’s game plan for Bohachuk, 26-2 (24 KOs), to get inside his long arms early on and land both from mid-range and in the pocket despite Fox’s height and reach advantages, but that was the reality with which he was presented from the opening round.

Fox was not attempting to put anything on his punches, but was just looking to touch and move. That made sense, in that the American had no desire to engage in a firefight with the Ukrainian – but it had no deterrent impact on Bohachuk, who stalked relentlessly forward and attacked with power punches from both hands.

The fourth round hinted at a potential change in the fight’s flow: After a first minute in which Bohachuk’s pressure seemed to have all but eliminated Fox’s footwork, Fox, 24-5 (5 KOs), suddenly hit a rhythm, circling to his right and leaning slightly more into his punches as Bohachuck at once appeared to be flummoxed.

That pattern continued into the fifth, as the combination of Fox’s movement and increased punch output thwarted Bohachuk’s attempts to launch his power shots. It wasn’t a given that Fox was winning these rounds – he very well may have been – but he certainly wasn’t losing them anything like as widely as he had been over the first few frames.

The sixth was something of a return to effectiveness by Bohachuk, whose starting position was a barely perceptible half step or so to the left – enough to put a crimp in Fox’s attempts to glide smoothly to his right as he had been doing.

Fox remained effective in the seventh during the times when he was moving and jabbing, but those times became fewer and farther between as Bohachuk once more dialed in his positioning and range. Fox was also developing a habit of pulling straight back, which Bohachuk exploited willingly with clean overhand rights.

Bohachuk had by now dialed in on a few punches of particular efficacy – primarily a digging left hook to the body, a short lead hook to the jaw and a crisp overhand right – and he deployed them with clear impact in the eighth. Fox was implementing his plan well enough, but that plan, while sufficient to keep him competitive in most rounds, didn’t appear sufficient to carry him to victory. In short, Fox had a good game plan but was simply outgunned.

If anything, Fox retreated and moved even more than before over the first two minutes of the final round, frustrating Bohachuk (if not exactly making a strong case for victory). With a minute to go, Bohachuk was able to trap Fox against the ropes, and although Fox was in time able to escape, Bohachuk remained on the front foot until the final bell.

The judges clearly recognized that Bohachuk was the one, not only pressing the action but also proving far more effective, as they saw him as a wide and unanimous winner by scores of 97-93, 97-93, 98-92.

“I’m ready [to fight again] tomorrow,” Bohachuk said with a smile in the ring afterward. “This was not a hard fight for me.”