Photo Credit: Golden Boy/ Cris Esqueda
LAS VEGAS (August 8, 2024): As the clock counts down to the highly anticipated interim World Championship fight between knockout monsters Vergil Ortiz Jr. (21-0, 21 KOs) of Grand Prairie, Texas and WBC Interim Super Welterweight World Champion of Vinitza, Ukraine, Serhii “El Flaco” Bohachuk (24-1, 23 KOs), the two pugilists hosted a final press conference to discuss their upcoming fight. The world championship is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with 360 Promotions and TGB Promotions. It is scheduled for 12-rounds and is set to take place at the Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on August 10, 2024. Doors to the arena open at 2:00 p.m. PT, the first fight begins at 2:05 p.m. PT, and the worldwide DAZN broadcast will begin at 5:00 p.m. PT.
Also participating in the press conference were some of the fighters on the explosive televised undercard. Co-headlining the championship clash, the undefeated and No. 2 WBC-ranked Charles “Bad News” Conwell (19-0, 14 KOs) will measure up against Khiary Gray (18-6, 13 KOs) of Worcester, Massachusetts in a 10-round super welterweight fight. Looking to make a statement in his Golden Boy debut, former Team USA member and No.1 WBA-ranked super lightweight contender Kenneth “Bossman” Sims Jr. (20-2-1, 7 KOs) will fight in a 10-round match against Guanajuato, Mexico’s Jair “Kaiser” Valtierra (17-3, 9 KOs).
In co-promotion with Sampson Boxing, undefeated IBF Flyweight World Champion Gabriela “Sweet Poison” Fundora (13-0, 6 KOs) will defend her world title for the second time against Daniela “La Leona” Asenjo (16-3-3, 2 KOs) of Valdivia, Chile in a 10-round fight. Opening the DAZN broadcast, superstar in the making and former Team USA member Joel Iriarte (3-0, 3 KOs) of Bakersfield, California will participate in a six-round welterweight fight against Miguel Ortiz (3-1, 1 KO) of Springfield, Massachusetts.
Headlining the Golden Boy Fight Night: Bohachuk vs. Ortiz Prelims which will be streamed on Golden Boy’s YouTube, women’s boxing icon Cecilia “The First Lady” Braekhus (37-2-1, 9 KOs), of Bergen, Norway will face newly announced four-time world title challenger Maricela “La Diva” Cornejo (19-6, 7 KOs) of Los Angeles. The ten-round bout will be contested for the vacant WBC Interim Super Welterweight Title. The originally announced WBC/WBO Super Welterweight World Champion Ema Kozin of Ljubjana, Slovenia is unable to defend her titles against Braekhus due to visa issues. As the co-main event of the prelims, undefeated Korean-American middleweight prospect Eric Priest (13-0, 8 KOs) will face Split, Croatia’s Luka Lozo (9-2-1, 8 KOs) a 10-round medley.
Also making a quick return in a four-round lightweight match, Santa Ana, Calif.’s Johnny “Sugarcane” Cañas (4-0, 2 KOs) is fighting Sonora, Mexico’s Joseph “Jaguar” Cruz (7-9, 3 KOs). Making his professional debut, Team USA member and recently signed to Golden Boy, Jordan Fuentes of Fresno, California will hope to make a splash against James Mulder (0-2) of Antioch, Calif. in a four-round super bantamweight fight. Also a part of the preliminary card, undefeated prospect Figo “La Maquina” Ramirez (6-0, 3 KOs) will participate in a six-round bantamweight fight against Sparks, Nevada’s Jose Gonzalez (5-0-1, 4 KOs). Opening fight night and also making her highly anticipated professional debut, Jennah “The Gem” Creason of Visalia, California will make participate in a four-round welterweight fight against Kelsey Wickstrum (2-1, 1 KO).
Here is what participants from today’s event had to say:
VERGIL ORTIZ, JR., SUPER WELTERWEIGHT WORLD TITLE CONTENDER:
“First and foremost, I want to thank everyone on my team, my dad, Robert, Hector Beltran, Charles, Pita, everyone at the gym supporting me, everyone back home in Grand Prairie, Texas. I just feel like boxing is what I was made for. We put in all this hard work, it all goes back from that day after kindergarten till now. This Saturday, I will be a world champion.”
SERHII “EL FLACO” BOHACHUK, WBC INTERIM SUPER WELTERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION:
“Big fight coming up. I’m ready for this fight. I hope Vergil is ready too. This Saturday will be hard, come and see.”
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS:
“In total, these two guys have 45 fights between them. They have ended 44 of them by knockout. This is a guaranteed, action-packed barnburner. Vergil Ortiz, Jr. is the next superstar of boxing. He simply has every tool at his disposal — speed, power and a killer instinct that you can’t teach. Serhii Bohachuk has incredible power and simply does not take a step back. Of his 24 victories, 23 have come within the distance, and in his only fight that did see the final bell, Serhii handily beat Brian Mendoza. Golden Boy is also putting on an incredible undercard featuring debuts, rising prospects and contenders on the cusp of world championship fights. You won’t want to miss this!”
TOM LOEFFLER, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF 360 PROMOTIONS:
“This is a tremendous, tremendous fight. Fireworks guaranteed. Probably the best fight on TV that we’ve seen in a long time. There’s not going to be any slow starts here.”
CHARLES “BAD NEWS” CONWELL, SUPER WELTERWEIGHT WORLD TITLE CONTENDER:
“I’m back again after a short turnover, so I’m excited to be back so fast. This is just another stepping stone to what the future holds for me. I want bigger and better fights each and every time out, so I’m looking forward to watching the main event and every other guy in my division so I can kick the door and take over the division.”
KENNETH “BOSSMAN” SIMS JR, SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD TITLE CONTENDER:
“I just want to let the world know that I’m back. I’m excited for what the future holds, but right now we got Saturday to take care of. If you want to see something spectacular, tune in on Saturday. I’m never in a dull fight, but on Saturday, I plan to go in there and dominate and show why I’m the number one contender in the WBA world rankings.”
GABRIELA “SWEET POISON” FUNDORA, CURRENT IBF FLYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION:
“Thank you to Mandalay Bay for providing such a historical arena. It’s an honor to be fighting here at the Michelob Ultra Arena. Coming this Saturday night, I’m going to be a tough act to follow.”
DANIELA “LA LEONA” ASENJO, FORMER FLYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION :
“Once again we’re here to visit to look for a world title. I have a great rival in front of me that I respect a lot. All the way from Chile, we’re going to give a great show.”
JOEL IRIARTE, WELTERWEIGHT PROSPECT:
“I’m making my fourth appearance in five months, and I’m honestly just happy. For everyone that’s tuning in on Saturday night, expect an electrifying performance. I feel like my style is, I heard someone say, like a chameleon, you know, it just gets better. I’m good at adapting with different styles, and I’m ready to showcase a little bit more of my skill sets.”
CECILIA “FIRST LADY” BRAEKHUS, FORMER WORLD CHAMPION:
“Biggest thanks to Maricela for stepping up on such a short notice. You are an absolute hero for this. You are the definition of staying ready. We have been training partners, we have been friends. We are friends, but don’t let that fool you. On Saturday, we’re both coming for that belt.”
MARICELA “LA DIVA” CORNEJO, WORLD TITLE CONTENDER:
“It’s going to be an honor to share the ring with Cecilia “First Lady” Braekhus. I know both of us are going to come out fighting like Tom said, for all the marbles. We’ve worked together in camp, so we’re familiar with each other, but I know she’s only improved and so have I. We’re ready to take over the card.”
MANNY ROBLES, TRAINER TO SERHII BOHACHUK:
“Serhii Bohachuk could have taken an easy route and could have picked an easier opponent, but instead, he chose to fight Vergil Ortiz, and that just goes to show you what kind of fighter Serhii Bohachuk is. He is not afraid of a tough fight. You know, fighting one of the best fighters in the world as we know, an up-and-coming star in Vergil. This has the makings to be the fight of the year, it’s going to be great.”
ROBERT GARCIA, JR., TRAINER TO VERGIL ORTIZ, JR.:
“It’s not just about us, the trainers. It’s about the whole team working together and supporting each other and helping each other out. We’re happy to be here, Oscar, you know this, we’ve been here many times in huge fights. Saturday night, Vergil will become champion of the world. He’s ready, he’s ready to do it, and this is just the beginning of many, many more titles.”
BERNARD HOPKINS, HALL OF FAMER AND GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS PARTNER:
“Vergil is a surgeon from my eyes of looking at how he has evolved from fight to fight. I have seen it myself in real time, and so I would say that the main event is going to be one of those fights that Oscar, my partner, and myself and others, vouch to have the best fighters fighting the best. And now that we got some more excitement in the sport of boxing, it’s energized.”
Bohachuk vs. Ortiz Jr. is a 12-round fight for the WBC Interim Super Welterweight World Championship presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with 360 Promotions and TGB Promotions. The fight will take place on Saturday, August 10 at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas and will be streamed live worldwide on DAZN.
Tickets starting at $34 plus applicable fees for Bohachuk vs. Ortiz Jr. are on sale now. A limited amount of Golden Boy VIP Experience tickets will also be available for purchase with exclusive merchandise and fight night upgrades included. Standard and VIP tickets can be purchased at AXS.com or GoldenBoyPromotions.com.
For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoy and https://www.facebook.com/DAZN. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy and @DAZNBoxing. Follow the conversation using #OrtizLawson
