LOS ANGELES — WBC junior middleweight champion
Sebastian Fundora and
Tim Tszyu are set to square off in a rematch on July 19 after their 2024 barnburner went the way of "The Towering Inferno."
Serhii Bohachuk was originally supposed to face Fundora that night in March, but was forced to take a backseat once Tszyu's original opponent,
Keith Thurman, injured himself, thus allowing Fundora to step in. Bohachuk ended up with a respectable opponent and won against former Fundora conqueror
Brian Mendoza Jr. for the WBC interim title.
Bohachuk (26-2, 24 KOs), rated No. 6 by The Ring at 154 pounds, has since dropped a disputed majority decision and his interim title against
Vergil Ortiz Jr. in August and scored wins against Ishmael Davis in December and
Mykal Fox on May 17.
The 30-year-old Ukrainian power puncher is ranked as the WBC's No. 1 challenger.
"He's officially designated as the WBC mandatory challenger, but a title fight has not been ordered yet," Bohachuk's promoter, Tom Loeffler, told The Ring. "It's a little bit of a grey area right now. We'll see what happens after the Fundora-Tszyu fight."
In its June status update released this week, the WBC said a bout between Ortiz and Bohachuk is "pending to be ordered."
As Turki Alalshikh looks for fan-friendly fighters to fill future events, Loeffler would love to have Bohachuk featured on the Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford undercard on Sept. 13 in Las Vegas.
If Fundora and Tszyu aren't ready for a quick turnaround, Loeffler is eyeing another title fight for "El Flaco" against the Russian bulldozer and IBF champion
Bakhram Murtazaliev.
"We're looking to give Bohachuk a big fight in the fall," said Loeffler. "Fundora, Tszyu, Ortiz, or Bakhram are all great names and opponents for Bohachuk. Serhii doesn't care who he fights because he believes he's the best in the division. He needs those kinds of matchups to prove that. There are so many great matchups for him in the 154-pound division."
Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan