After a grueling 12-round Fight of the Year candidate in August, most boxers these days would put the gloves and mouthpiece in their locker at the gym and be content to sit out the rest of the year and enjoy getting fat for the holidays.

Serhii Bohachuk is not most boxers.

“I can’t sit home and wait,” said the Ukrainian, who lost a close (some would say controversial) majority decision to Vergil Ortiz Jnr this past summer. “I need more fights. Now I have a good fight with a good boxer. Okay, let’s go. It’s interesting for me. I can make a fight every two months. It’s good for me. It’s my job and I love my job. It’s my life.”

That good fight with a good boxer will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, against Israil Madrimov on the Oleksandar Usyk-Tyson Fury 2 undercard at Kingdom Arena. And given the status and talent of both junior middleweights, this may be more than a good fight. It might even rival Ortiz-Bohachuk for compelling action. 

“Madrimov has big experience from his amateur career,” Bohachuk said of his Uzbekistani foe. “He has good experience in professional career. He has fights with a lot of strong boxers like (Magomed) Kurbanov, and in every professional fight he has good opponents, strong opponents. And he’s won these fights. He had a fight with (Terence) Crawford, and I don’t think he lost. And I’ll think he’ll be better and stronger in this fight.”

The Crawford fight put Madrimov on the map when it comes to fight fans beyond the hardcore set, and even though he lost a unanimous decision and interim WBO belt, it was a competitive fight where a round or two swinging in the other direction could have earned him the upset win. It’s the same case as Bohachuk’s bout with Ortiz, in which he dropped the unbeaten Texan twice, only to see two of the three judges score it for his opponent. 

“I know I won this fight,” said Bohachuk. “I won this fight, and I know this, everyone knows this.”

The loss on his record, just his second in 26 fights, is just that, a line on his BoxRec page. In reality, his stock only rose, and it led him to a big fight to close the year. That’s his only focus right now as he works with trainer Manny Robles in Guadalajara, Mexico.

“My coach recommended this to me and said, ‘Let’s go, because it’s higher here, like Big Bear.’ It’s good here, very delicious food, good people, a good boxing gym and a good fitness gym and everything is here. It’s easy because at home I needed maybe one hour to drive to the gym. I lose a lot of time for driving, and here it’s five minutes to the gym, five minutes to the park for running, five minutes to the fitness gym, and everyone is good here. I really like this place.”

He even found some time for a Chivas soccer game, but only to watch.

“I just support, I don’t play; I don’t play soccer because it's dangerous,” Bohachuk laughs, clearly enjoying this training camp. And why not, because the man nicknamed “El Flaco” has been described as having a Mexican fighting style.

“I like Mexican people because Mexican people love boxing,” he said. “Everyone here watches and loves boxing. They’re interested, and I’m interested in showing these people quality boxing.” 

He has been, and he will again this December. That makes it three fights for 2024, and he plans on keeping that busy schedule well into the New Year. As for beyond 2025, the 29-year-old is here for a good time, but not a long time.

“It’s a short career,” Bohachuk said. “And you need to show your skills, show yourself a hundred per cent. I don’t have time for rest now. I need to train, fight, train, fight, and show my skills and show who I am. I don’t have time for resting, for recovery, one year, two years. I don’t have this time. I need to work now. Maybe heavyweights can fight a little bit longer, but my weight division, it’s a short career and I understand this. I need to make money, show people who is Serhii Bohachuk, make my name in history, and number one, safe health.”

Just don’t tell him that the Ortiz bout was Fight of the Year, because he’s not done yet.

“You tell me it was maybe the best fight in the year with Ortiz, and I’m telling you no – I’m trying to make the best fight in the year with Madrimov.”