Brandon Adams let the left hook go as he stops Serhii Bohachuk in 8!
Hard-hitting Ukrainian junior middleweight contender Serhii Bohachuk (16-1, 16KO), is a fighter who is rising up the ranks under the radar. He did not have the superb amateur career of his Ukranian counterparts Vasiliy Lomachenko or Oleksandr Usyk. However as a professional, he is slowly catching the eyes of hardcore boxing fans who value is ability to destroy opponents with both hands. Now he gets the chance to show his body of work on national television as he headlines a card in Puerto Rico against season five winner of “The Contender” Brandon Adams (23-3, 15KO).
The two were set to fight in December of 2020 the Ukrainian had to pull-out due to contracting COVID-19.
Though his resume is thin, Bohachuk is doing with what he is supposed to do against sub-par competition in Gennady Golovkin-esque fashion; knocking them all out! Former WBC welterweight title contender Freddy Hernandez and veteran journeyman Tyrone Brunson among his best victims. Adams is no doubt the biggest step-up of his four-year career. The knockout streak awarded him a #7 and #9 ranking with the WBC and IBF respectively at junior middleweight.
Adams has been gone quiet since winning “The Contender” in November 2018. Although, winning that tournament did get him a title shot seven months later against newly crowned WBC champ Jermall Charlo. A fight in which he arguably lost every round but garnered some respect because the champ did not stop him. He also made Charlo look unimpressive in that win. Fans felt he could have parlayed the loss into getting fights with other contenders in the division, but he only fought once since. He stopped the unknown late replacement for Bohachuk in Sanny Duversonne by the second round.
This bout presented a high-volume action packed fight that any boxing fan would enjoy!
SETTING A FAST PACE
Both men started this fight guns-blazing! Bohachuk is known for a high work-rate that will wear his opponents down. Adams is fighter who utilizes different looks but ultimately wants to get on the inside with an unorthodox style to keep his opponent uncomfortable. Besides both fighters constantly slipping on a mat seemingly made out of ice, neither man was deterred from getting their shots off.
Early on, Adams found a home for the left hook. The Ukrainian is definitely not heralded for his defense. Therefore, the former world title contender easily setup his opponent with lead left hooks as he utilized side-to-side movement before lunging in. Meanwhile, Bohachuk did a decent job taking a half-step back in the middle of action and planting uppercuts on the chin of his crouched opponent. However, it seemed Adams was dictating the pace more. His pressure continuously put the front-footed Ukrainian on his back foot in the first quarter of the fight.
Unfortunately for the American, a surprise point deduction for a low-blow after only a previous warning in round three may have swung the early rounds in Bohachuk’s favor.
OUTWORKING THE WORKER
Despite the work-rate Adams was putting in, he didn’t seem to command with authority in the middle rounds. While he kept mixing up his point of attack, he started relegating himself to jumping in with one shot then holding. When trying to utilize the ring, Bohachuk effectively cut the ring off and walked his opponent down. In the process, he kept his hands moving, scoring several shots in combinations.
The conditioning of the Ukrainian is superb. As Adams started to slow down, Bohachuk was picking it up! The former title contender brought the fight early but couldn’t seem to match the intensity anymore. Now he wanted a little space, but the Ukrainian refused to give it to him. Bohachuk took complete control by round seven with Adams fading…and fading fast!
THEN BOOM!
BUT…as they say “never count a fighter out!” As mentioned earlier, Adams found a home for the left hook. While victory may have been on the mind of Bohachuk, he never really figured out to defend the left hook.
This ultimately put a dead stop to getting his nineteenth victory in dramatic fashion.
While having Adams on the ropes in the eighth round, Bohachuk let his hands go. However, Adams saw an opportunity and shot the left hook. The counter landed with pinpoint accuracy and immediately backed the Ukrainian up. Sensing he had his opponent hurt, Adams went in for the kill.
Bohachuk completely in survival mode had never been in this situation as a pro. He kept backing up in an attempt to get away from Adams but as his back touched the ropes, he was a sitting duck! The American knew this and shot the left hook for a final time! The shot went through the face of the Ukrainian as he crumbled to the canvas. He got back to his feet at nine, but his legs were still gone. The referee took notice and waived off the bout!
This was a huge comeback win as Adams seemed to be on his way to his fourth pro defeat. All three scorecards had Adams needing a knockout to win and 3kingsboxing.com had him down 5-2. He delivered in a big way!
At the moment he is unranked by all four major sanctioning bodies. However, a win over a fighter who is ranked in the top ten in two of the four sanctioning bodies should get him at least an honorable mention!
By: EJ Williams
