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Vergil Ortiz Jr. will test power, unbeaten mark in Saturday bout with Serhii Bohachuk

Ortiz, a Grand Prairie native, faces the WBC interim junior middleweight champion in a 154-pound division matchup.

Vergil Ortiz Jr. will test his undefeated record in unfamiliar territory, but one in which he feels comfortable.

The Grand Prairie native will face WBC interim junior middleweight champion Serhii Bohachuk (24-1, 23 KOs) on Saturday at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.

Ortiz (21-0, 21 KOs) has spent most of his eight professional years in the 147-pound division before moving up to the 154-pound division.

Ortiz debuted in the 154-pound division in a Jan. 6 fight, defeating Fredrick Lawson in first-round stoppage.

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“I feel physically, mentally and emotionally great,” Ortiz, 26, said at a pre-fight news conference. “This is the division where I need to be, I think my power carries over to 154.”

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Even though he has won all his fights by knockout, Ortiz refuses to see himself as a power boxer.

“I don’t think I’m some devastating knockout puncher. I never saw myself like that,” he said. “I just pick the right shots, and I place them at the right place, at the right time. That’s all it is.”

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Bohachuk, a 29-year-old Ukrainian, hopes the matchup against Ortiz will trigger a spectacular boxing exhibition in the ring.

“I wanted this fight because Vergil is a great fighter. He was the best fighter in the 147 division, and in the 154 division, he is one of the best fighters,” Bohachuk said. “I want to show my fans great fights. I am interested in fighting the best boxers, not the easy boxers. If it is not interesting to me, then it is not interesting to people.”

The fight card will be broadcast on DAZN beginning at 7 p.m.

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