LAS VEGAS —
Serhii Bohachuk is confident of a different outcome when meeting Brandon Adams in a rematch Saturday at Allegiant Stadium.
The 10-round, 156-pound catchweight bout will take place on the undercard of the
Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford main event and headline the prelim portion on YouTube before the main card begins on Netflix.
Bohachuk (26-2, 24 KOs) was blasted by “The Canon” Adams (25-4, 16 KOs) when they first met in 2021, as “El Flaco” lost by eighth-round knockout in a fight he was leading comfortably on the cards.
“I made a big mistake four years ago, and I will fix everything in the rematch,” Bohachuk told
The Ring. “I was young at the time and did not have enough experience. I didn't know what it felt like to go to a decision. I was feeling tired and I wanted to knock him out. I'm not the same fighter anymore. I'm smarter, have more skills and more experience. I'll be stronger and different in the rematch, I'll be ready.”
Bohachuk was up 69-63 and 68-64 (twice) before getting knocked down with a left hook. Bohachuk valiantly got back up but looked shaky, forcing referee Ramon Pena to stop the fight. At the time, Bohachuk was unbeaten in 18 fights and had stopped everyone he’d faced inside six rounds.
“I didn't lose. I had a great learning experience,” said Bohachuk. “I was pushing and pressing thinking that my chin was iron. He was smart, acting like he was tired while waiting for the one lucky punch. It was a big mistake by me going for the knockout and he taught me a good lesson.”
To better prepare for the sequel, the 30-year-old Ukrainian relocated training camp back to the high-altitude terrain of Big Bear, California, for the first time in five years with coach Manny Robles.
“Big Bear is the best place for me to have my camp,” said Bohachuk. “I'm just training, recovering, eating and sleeping. It's different when you are training at home. There are a lot of distractions. It's just train, train, train. I feel great here.”
Bohachuk has gone 8-1 since Adams. He beat
Brian Mendoza last year and almost outlasted
Vergil Ortiz Jr. in a barnburner, dropping the Texan twice only to end up on the wrong end of the scorecards by majority decision.
Most recently in May, Bohachuk beat
Mykal Fox by unanimous decision.
Adams, meanwhile, wasn’t able to leverage a career-catapulting win. He finally ended three years of inactivity with three fights in seven months last year, the most recent contest being a split-decision defeat against
Andreas Katzourakis.
Bohachuk,
The Ring’s No. 6-rated 154-pound fighter and No. 1-rated WBC contender, is banking on facing a deteriorated version of Adams.
Adams, a 36-year-old Los Angeles native, is playing up to the notion. Recent footage showed him portraying the role of a greying yet powerful old man.
“Maybe he'll be older and slower in the rematch, and I will feel it,” said Bohachuk. “If that's the case, I will push for the knockout.”
Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan