Junior middleweight contenders Serhii ‘El Falco’ Bohachuk 23-1 (23) and Brian ‘La Bala’ Mendoza 22-3 (16) will both be out to steal the show when they box for the vacant WBC interim title at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday night.
The fight will take place on the undercard of the WBO and WBC 154-pound title fight between Tim Tszyu 24-0 (17) and Sebastian Fundora 20-1-1 (13).
Fundora was scheduled to face Bohachuk on the undercard before Tszyu’s original opponent Keith Thurman withdrew with a biceps injury ad he was tabbed to box in the main event.
Ukrainian knockout artist Bohachuk, 28, has won five on the bounce since his lone loss to Brandon Adams 23-3 (15) in Puerto Rico three years ago and will be looking to add another early finish to his ledger.
“I’m very happy to be here for a big show. I’m going to show my fans and everyone in the world a great fight. I can’t wait for Saturday night,” Bohachuk said.
“Brian is a good fighter with good experience. This is a big fight for my career. I’m only focused on the fight in front of me.
“I’ve gained a great deal of experience in recent years. I’m 100% ready. My loss was not a loss, it was just experience. I’m a smarter fighter now and I’m ready for all of the big fights.
“I’m going to show on Saturday everything I can do. My time is coming. This is going to be a great fight.”
Mendoza had mixed fortunes in 2023. His stunning seventh-round knockout of Fundura in April was followed by a 12-round unanimous decision loss to Tszyu October.
Despite the setback, the 30-year-old American believes he can still be a force to be reckoned with at the top of the 154-pound table.
“Hard work is what got me here and I’m so thankful to be in this position. I was getting ready for a fight when the call came. We’re always grinding. Once I got the call, there was no hesitation,” Mendoza said.
“I think Tszyu and Bohachuk are similar in some ways, but Tszyu is more polished. I gained a lot of experience fighting Tszyu and I’m going to keep going after the best.
Mendoza will be looking to take the fight deep and increase the pressure with every round. Bohachuk has been past the sixth round just once in his seven year pro career. That was against Adams, who stopped him in the eighth round.
“I have no doubt that my conditioning is going to be there, so I’m ready to turn it up in the ring on Saturday,” Mendoza said. “I’m an underdog again and everyone knows how I fight when I have a chip on my shoulder.
“I’m still number two in the division behind Tim Tszyu and I want to show why on Saturday night. Make sure you tune in.”
The card will be broadcast on Prime Video pay-per-view.
