Ishmael Davis is confident he will defeat former WBC interim junior middleweight champion Serhii Bohachuk on Saturday in their 12-round co-feature fight on the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2 card in Riyadh.
Although Davis (13-1, 6 KOs) has only fought one world-class fighter [Josh Kelly] in his six-year career and losing to him, he believes he has the boxing skills to defeat Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KO) by decision.
That's what he wants. He's not going to try to take out Bohachuk, which makes sense because he's not a huge puncher and he doesn't throw combinations. Davis was brought in on short notice after Bohachuk's previously scheduled opponent, Israil Madrimov, withdrew from the fight due to illness.
Ishmael feels that Bohachuk is not a very good inside fighter and thinks he can send him any distance. He's going to have to because he'll get cut up if he hits or is stationary.
A Trick Pony?
“I’m in the best shape of my life. He is a good fighter under pressure. I don't think he's the most competent, but he puts pressure on people. When he gets the respect he wants, people fall apart,” Ishmael Davis told iFL TV about Serhii Bohachuk. “He won't be able to do that with me.” I'm ready for a real war.
“I know what this fight means to me. This is a great opportunity. This guy is #6 in the world. When I beat this guy, I don't want a British title. I learned a lesson from the Josh Kelly fight. I wasn't really prepared for this fight. I'm ready for this.
“I know I will get the victory on Saturday night. I don't care what other people say. He's not a better boxer than me and I don't think he's good enough to beat me. He likes to go inside. I don't think he's really that good inside. It's kind of a one-trick pony. What you see is what you get,” Davis said.
Bohachuk is going to put a lot of pressure on Davis, trying to turn the fight into a nasty war. Davis says he's ready for war, but we'll see if he's serious.
Davis' game plan
“He’s going to throw a lot of punches at you, and you either make him pay or he makes you pay,” Davis said. “I saw him get arrested. I'm not going for the shutdown. I'm going to win, but I just see myself winning this fight. After beating Serhii I will take the world route not the UK route.
“It’s a big challenge because there are killers there, and they have a lot of experience that I didn’t have. I like a challenge,” Davis said.
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