On the night of February 2 in Las Vegas, Ukrainian boxer Serhiy Bohachuk in his debut fight under the Zuffa Boxing banner defeated Russian Rajab Butaev.
According to punch statistics, the Ukrainian noticeably outperformed his opponent (including in the number of jabs— 111 to 31), however, the judges saw a very close fight. The final score: a split decision in favor of Serhiy— 96:94, 96:94, and 94:96.
At the press conference after the show, Bogachuk dedicated his victory to his compatriots and noted that he was dissatisfied with the judges' work:
"This victory is for Ukrainians. It's very difficult at home right now: cold, no electricity, the war continues. I had insane extra motivation. I wanted to give at least a little positive to my people.
Honestly? I don’t agree with the scorecards. I won almost all the rounds. Maybe I didn’t knock him out, but I controlled the fight much more confidently than the cards showed.”
For the 30-year-old Ukrainian, this is already his 27th victory in the pros and an important start to cooperation with Zuffa Boxing— a promotional company that actively attracts top fighters and promises a fresh look at professional boxing.
