TROIS-RIVIÈRES, Canada (March 4, 2022) – Like so many fellow brave Ukrainians, Serhii “El Flaco” Bohachuk (20-1, 20 KOs) has returned home in defense of his country fighting alongside his compatriots against the Russian invasion, which has forced his withdrawal from a scheduled March 25th showdown with Canadian super welterweight Mikaël Zewski (35-2, 23 KOs).
Vidéotron Coliseum in Trois-Rivières, Canada, will host its inaugural professional boxing event, starting at 7 p.m. ET, which is presented by Mise-O-Jeu, co-promoted by a Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) with Probellum, and in collaboration with Deacon Sports and Entertainment Ltd.
Bohachuk joins other Ukrainian fighters who have joined the fight such as retired former world heavyweight champions Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, as well as reigning World unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and 3-time, 3-division World title holder Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Zewski, a former IBF North American and WBO NABO welterweight champion, is fighting at super welterweight for only the second time. His new opponent in the 10-round main event for the WBC Continental Americas Super Welterweight Championship is former world title challenger Carlos “Chema” Ocampo Manriquez (32-1, 20 KOs), of Mexico, whose lone pro loss was in 2018 to IBF Welterweight World Champion Errol Spence, Jr.
“We applaud Bohachuk’s courage to return home and fight with his countrymen in a real war,” GYM president Yvon Michel said. “Our hearts and prayers are with him and all Ukrainians who we wish for peace. Mikael is still in a very tough fight against Manriquez, the WBO’s No. 8-rated super welterweight.
“GYM is excited to co-promote this stacked card with our partner, Probellum, in our boxing series. Not only do we have some of the best Canadian boxers in action, but we are also thrilled to have three Olympians fighting in separate bouts, Arthur Biyarslanov, Joseph Ward, and Herbert Carvalho Sousa.”
In the 10-round co-featured event, undefeated super lightweight Biyarslanov (9-0, 7 KOs) takes on Roberto Verdugo (10-3-1, 4 KOs), of Mexico. Fighting out of Toronto, Biyarslanov represented Canada in the 2016 Olympic Games. Verdugo is unbeaten in his last 6 fights with 5 wins and 1 draw.
Undefeated Irish super lightweight prospect Joseph “Mighty” Ward (6-1, 3 KOs) is scheduled to fight an opponent to named in a 4-round match. Ward is a 3-time European amateur champion, in addition to representing Ireland in the 2016 Olympics.
Highly decorated Brazilian middleweight Herbert Caravalho Sousa will make his pro debut in a 4-rounder vs. TBA. The 23-year-old Sousa was a gold medal winner at the 2020 Olympics and 2019 World Championships.
Former Canadian National amateur champion Sebastien Bouchard (19-2, 8 KOs) meets Ricardo “Riky” Lara (22-9, 10 KOs), of Mexico, in an intriguing 10-round bout. The popular Bouchard has been victorious in 10 of his last 11 fights.
Canadian welterweight Marie-Pier Houle (5-0-1, 2 KOs), returning to the ring quickly off her recent triumph (Feb. 24) over Yamilia Esther Reynoso by way of a 6-round decision, to face former World kickboxing champion Valentina Keri (5-5, 0 KOs), of Serbia, in a 6-round fight.
Also fighting on the undercard is Canadian heavyweight Alexis (4-0, 3 KOs) vs. Marco Antonio Canedo (4-1, 2 KOs) in a 6-round clash; pro-debuting Canadian super lightweight Spencer Wilcox vs. TBA, and Petar Gavrilovic (1-0, 0 KOs) vs. Greg Weeks (3-1, 3 KOs) in a pair of 4-round confrontations.
Tickets, starting at $25.00, are on sale and available for purchase on ticketmaster.ca. Prestigious seat reservations can also be made by calling (819) 519-1634.
San Juan, PUERTO RICO – March 4, 2021 – Former world title challenger Brandon Adams scored the biggest win of his career with a stunning eighth-round technical knockout to upset blue-chip rising star Serhii Bohachuk in the main event of Ring City USA’s inaugural 2021 event from Felix Pagan Pintor Gym in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, and live on NBC Sports Network.
Despite flashing athleticism and quick hands throughout the fight, Adams (23-3, 15 KOs) was down on all three scorecards (68-64 x2, 69-63) at the time of the stoppage. The 31-year-old lost all three rounds heading into the eighth frame when he unleashed a perfectly placed counterpunch that hurt Bohachuk which set up the opportunity to land a sensational left hook that sent Bohachuk to the canvas for the first time in his professional career.
“He was a tough guy,” said Adams. “He brought another side out of me that I knew was inside. I had to dig in deep tonight and use all the strength that I had to connect with one of those punches from the cannon.”
Adams, who hails from Watts, California, is the first fighter to return to the Ring City USA series on NBC Sports Network since its inception in November 2020. In two outings on the Thursday night boxing series, he has scored two emphatic knockouts in main event performances. Adams’ matchup with Bohachuck was originally scheduled for December but his opponent was forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19. Adams went on to stop Sonny Duversonne in the second round of that event at Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles.
“It was real tough fighting in there tonight,” continued Adams. “The ring was wet; the ref was against me tonight. It was an uphill battle. I am an explosive fighter and I couldn’t take advantage of that because I didn’t have my legs under me because the ring was wet. But even though I was irritated, the show must go on. I am a pro. I have to figure out how to get the W and that’s what I had to do. I am grateful for the win. I loved Puerto Rico, everyone out here embraced me with love.”
Bohachuk, who is originally from Vinitza, Ukraine, and now resides in Los Angeles, entered the fight with a pristine professional record, highlighted by his 100% knockout percentage through 18 fights. The 25-year-old dropped the first round on all three score cards but went on to control the pace against the veteran Adams for most of the fight by cutting off the ring and exhibiting steady body work.
“I thought he was dominating the fight,” said Bohachuk’s head trainer Manny Robles. “I told him to watch out for that left hook. I told him if he took away that left hook then he would control the fight. It takes a couple of rounds for Serhii to get warmed up, but he looked good and his defense was actually really improving until that knockout.”
In the co-main event of the evening, super featherweight prospect Bryan Chevalier (15-1-1, 12 KOs) of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, scored an impressive third-round knockout against Carlos Zambrano (26-2, 11 KOs). Chevalier, 26, returned to the ring following a 15-month layoff yet showed no signs of ring rust as he scored a quick knockdown in the first round. In the third round, he scored back-to-back knockdowns, highlighted by a thudding left hand to the midsection that sent Peru’s Zambrano to the canvas and unable to beat the count.
“I had the height and youth advantage tonight, but he had the experience,” said Chevalier. “I had to figure out what he was going to bring and adapt in order to get the victory. I am very happy with my performance. I am the best 126-pounder in all of Puerto Rico.”
Opening the telecast on NBC Sports Network, Puerto Rico’s Danielito Zorrilla (15-0, 11 KOs) and Kazakhstan’s Ruslan Madiyev (13-2, 5 KOs) engaged in an exciting back-and-forth battle. The 28-year-old Madiyev brought the fight to Zorilla with relentless pressure while the tactical Zorilla countered well. In the fifth round, Madiyev was docked a point for a punch behind the head and at 1:16 of the eighth round, referee Janny Gomez called a halt to the bout due to another punch behind the head, which was deemed an accidental foul. The 27-year-old Zorrilla earned a technical decision victory as two of the scorecards favored the Puerto Rican (77-75, 77-74) while the third was tallied in favor of Madiyev (76-73). Ring City’s unofficial scorer Steve Smoger saw the fight 76-75 in favor of Zorrilla.
“Ruslan was just getting his groove,” said head trainer Joel Diaz after the fight. “He was getting stronger after the fifth round and Zorrilla was getting tired. He kept hugging Ruslan during most of the fight. Personally, I think Zorrilla wanted out of the fight.”
Madiyev exited the ring quickly upon the decision being announced but Diaz voiced his opinion about the end of the bout.
“He wasn’t hurt, he’s a good actor,” continued Diaz. “Zorrilla should be a telenovela actor. We were winning that fight, and this isn’t fair for my fighter because he put in the work. But what can you do? We gotta keep moving forward.”
Danielito Zorrilla is currently in stable condition and was taken to the hospital following the bout to receive routine tests.
Earlier in the evening, live in the U.S. and around the world on Twitch, Ring City USA presented three four-round fights. In the main event of the Twitch undercard, Fernando Vargas, Jr. (2-0, 2 KOs) earned his second professional win in impressive fashion, scoring a first-round technical knockout against El Salvador’s Salome Flores Torres (0-3). The 24-year-old Vargas, Jr., under the tutelage of his father – two-time super welterweight world champion Fernando Vargas, Sr., sent Torres to the canvas twice before the fight was waved off.
“With every fight, I will continue to grow and listen to my father,” said Vargas, Jr. “This was just my second pro fight. We were looking for the knockout, but the TKO is OK. I was establishing my jab to get my distance and then unleashed my left hand.”
In his hometown of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Harold Laguna (2-0, 2 KO) worked the body early and often en route to a first-round knockout victory over Darwin Alvarez (0-1). In the first fight of the evening, Puerto Rican prospect Jorge Diaz (1-0, 1 KO) picked up his first professional victory against Felipe Munoz (0-1) via second-round knockout.
Calling all the action ringside in Puerto Rico was former two-time welterweight champion Shawn Porter joined by NBC Sports blow-by-blow commentator Bob Papa. Brian Campbell served as fight night analyst with Curran Bhatia reporting from ringside. The executive producers of tonight’s presentation of Bohachuk vs. Adams on NBC Sports Network were Eric Weinberger, Jeff Huggins & Frank Samuel. The telecast was produced by David Gibson and directed by Matt Celli.
Tonight’s full three-fight telecast will be available to watch on-demand on the NBC Sports App with authenticated sign-in.
Ring City USA returns to NBC Sports Network on March 18 with back-to-back weeks of Thursday night boxing from Puerto Rico. In two weeks, the next chapter in the Puerto Rico vs. Mexico ring rivalry will take center stage when former super featherweight world titlist AlbertoMachado (22-2, 18 KOs) faces undefeatedrising prospect Hector Tanajara (19-0, 5 KOs) in a 10-round lightweight main event. On March 25, Ring City will highlight one of the biggest fights in women’s boxing between seven-division world champion and future Boxing Hall of Famer Amanda Serrano and current two-division titlist Daniela Bermudez for Serrano’s WBO and WBC featherweight world titles.
Ring City, which launched in 2020, is boxing’s newest sports media platform. Working in tandem with a variety of promoters and talent, its new boxing series places an emphasis on competitive matchups that genuinely test the fighters and excite the fight fans. Ring City provides great fights in the ring and compelling shoulder programming outside of the ring. Ring City is the proving ground where up-and-coming talent can earn their stripes and launch themselves into the upper echelon of boxing stardom.
SUPER WELTERWEIGHTS SERHII BOHACHUK AND BRANDON ADAMS CLASH IN MARCH 4 MAIN EVENT WHILE FORMER WORLD CHAMPION ALBERTO MACHADO TAKES ON HECTOR TANAJARA IN MARCH 18 MAIN EVENT
Ring City USA Events Will Air Live Thursday Nights at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on NBCSN in the United States and Streaming Around the World on Twitch
Los Angeles – January 29, 2021 – Ring City USA, the new sports media startup that debuted its Thursday night boxing series in November 2020 on NBC Sports Network, announced today the first two events of 2021 will be held on Thursday, March 4 and Thursday, March 18, live from Puerto Rico. Both events will be televised in the United States on NBC Sports Network and the NBC Sports app on Thursday nights at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with undercard action streaming live on Twitch. The full card will be available on Twitch outside of the United States.
The return of Ring City USA features two highly competitive matchups with fighters at unique junctures of their professional boxing careers. On March 4, undefeated blue-chip rising star Serhii Bohachuk (18-0, 18 KOs) meets former middleweight title challenger Brandon Adams (22-3, 13 KOs) in a 10-round super welterweight main event. Two weeks later on March 18, Ring City presents the next chapter in the Puerto Rico vs. Mexico ring rivalry when former super featherweight world titlist AlbertoMachado (22-2, 18 KOs) faces undefeatedrising prospect Hector Tanajara (19-0, 5 KOs) in a 10-round lightweight main event. Ring City’s events in March will be broadcast live from Puerto Rico as the company continues to tap into boxing’s rich historical locations.
The fight between Bohachuk and Adams was originally scheduled to top the December 3 Ring City event at Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles but Bohachuk was forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19.
“We are thrilled to kick off 2021 with two crossroads main event fights in Puerto Rico,” said Head of Boxing Evan Rutkowski. “Serhii Bohachuk has been chomping at the bit to get back in the ring and on March 4 he will meet the most dangerous opponent of his career in Brandon Adams. Then two weeks later we are right back on NBC Sports Network and Twitch with rising undefeated prospect Hector Tanajara battling former world champion Alberto Machado of Puerto Rico in a classic Mexico vs. Puerto Rico rivalry fight.”
The hard-hitting Bohachuk, who is currently ranked seventh by the WBC and ninth by the IBF at 154 pounds, has steamrolled through opposition on his way to an 18-0 record, all of which have come via knockout. Training with Manny Robles out of Legends Boxing Academy, the 25-year-old proved himself with a knockout win over Tyrone Brunson in October of 2019. Most recently, he put on an electric performance in September 2020 when he knocked out Alejandro Davila in six rounds. The Ukrainian-born Bohachuk, who is promoted by Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions and Ural Boxing, continues to take the Southern California boxing world by storm with his dominant performances in the ring and magnetic personality out of the ring.
“I’m looking forward to defending my title against Brandon Adams on March 4 in Puerto Rico on NBC Sports Network,” said Bohachuk. “I want to thank Ring City and my promoters for this opportunity. This should be a great fight for the fans. I am sorry we couldn’t do it in December, but now people are talking even more about this fight. I will put on another exciting show for the fans.”
Following Bohachuk’s positive COVID-19 result, Adams went on to face Sonny Duversonne in Ring City’s main event on Dec. 3. Adams bested Duversonne just miles away from his hometown of Watts, Calif., with an impressive second-round knockout victory. The battle-tested Adams who works with accomplished trainer Dub Huntley, challenged WBC Middleweight Titleholder Jermall Charlo for the title in 2019 after defeating Shane Mosley Jr. to win the Epix Television Series “The Contender.” Adams boasts a formidable group of sparring partners, including Shawn Porter and Gennadiy Golovkin. Adams started competitively training at age 19, fought his first amateur fight at age 20 and turned professional at age 21. He is promoted by Banner Promotions and Tournament of Contenders.
“I’m looking forward to returning to Ring City in March and showing more growth when Serhii and I finally get to step into the ring in Puerto Rico,” said Adams.
Machado (22-2, 18 KOs), who hails from Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, will fight on the island for the first time since 2017 and the 14th time in his professional career. In 2017, Machado captured the WBA super featherweight world title against Jezreel Corrales via eighth-round knockout. Machado successfully defended the world title twice in 2018 before losing the belt to Andrew Cancio in February 2019. Later in 2019, Machado moved up to lightweight and scored a second-round knockout over Luis Porozo. The 30-year-old is currently ranked 12th by both the WBA and WBO. The southpaw made a name for himself on the Puerto Rican amateur circuit, competing in the AIBA Youth World Championships and the 2012 Olympic Qualifiers.
“It has been a sad and forced rest due to the Coronavirus but, for me, my body needed this rest. I am excited that after four years I will return to fight again at home in Puerto Rico,” said Machado. “I thank Miguel Cotto Promotions, H2 Promotions, Golden Boy and Ring City USA for giving me this opportunity to headline this great card. Hector Tanajara, Jr. is a great fighter who seeks to break through in the lightweight division as well. I hope he comes ready and that 135 has my space saved because I belong here and on March 18it will be demonstrated.”
Tanajara (19-0, 5 KOs) will take on the toughest test of his career when he meets Machado on his home turf. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Tanajara (19-0, 5 KOs) is coming off of fighting in his hometown for the first time in his professional career in January 2020 when he took on former world title challenger Juan Carlos Burgos who he beat convincingly via unanimous decision. The 24-year-old has continued to rise up the lightweight ranks since turning pro in 2015. In Machado, he will face a new challenge by taking on a southpaw fighter for the first time in his 19-fight professional career. Tanajara fights under the tutelage of world-famous trainer Robert Garcia.
“I’m excited to get back in the ring,” said Tanajara. “It has been a little over a year and I’ve been training hard this whole time staying ready for whoever. We finally got an opponent and I’m ready to show the world who I am and what I can do with the top guys in the division.”
Calling all the action ringside in Puerto Rico will be former two-time welterweight champion Shawn Porter joined by NBC Sports blow-by-blow commentator Bob Papa. Brian Campbell will serve as fight night analyst with Curran Bhatia reporting from ringside.
Full card details will be announced at a later date.
About Ring City USA
Ring City, which launched in 2020, is boxing’s newest sports media platform. Working in tandem with a variety of promoters and talent, its new boxing series places an emphasis on competitive matchups that genuinely test the fighters and excite the fight fans. Ring City provides great fights in the ring and compelling shoulder programming outside of the ring. Ring City is the proving ground where up-and-coming talent can earn their stripes and launch themselves into the upper echelon of boxing stardom.
