Serhii Bohachuk is following in the footsteps of the Ukrainian greats who inspired him. The middleweight boxer faces Shane Mosley Jr and reveals an unmatched determination to win, driven by a deeply personal reason—his mother will witness his fight live for the very first time.
“I had just one chance—boxing.”
Echoing his idol Wladimir Klitschko, failure was never an option for Bohachuk. Born in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, he describes his youth as a constant struggle.
“I had a hard childhood. I didn’t have money, I didn’t have nothing,” Bohachuk said.
But then he saw Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko. Their example opened his eyes. “My favorite boxers were the brothers Klitschko. When I was young I followed them and wanted to be like them,” he explained. “I wanted to be a champion. They’re from Ukraine, and I’m from Ukraine. They’re big stars, and I saw that when I was young and thought, ‘Wow, it’s possible. If they can, I can too.'”
He added, “They really, really motivated me. I had maybe little food. I just had the dream—world champion. I want to be champion, and if the brothers Klitschko can, I can too.”
Bohachuk has achieved significant success. In a strong amateur career, he defeated brilliant Olympic gold medalist Roniel Iglesias in the World Series of Boxing. In his 30-bout professional career, only Brandon Adams and Vergil Ortiz have beaten him. Now based in Los Angeles, he will face Shane Mosley Jr in Las Vegas.
“I just worked hard, and now I’m here,” Bohachuk said. “I have a house, I have a car. When I was young I didn’t have nothing. Now I have something. I help my family in Ukraine. This is my dream, and I’m working hard every day. A lot of people tell me it’s impossible; I tell them it’s possible. The brothers Klitschko can, Lomachenko can, Usyk can, I can too. Let’s go.”
He relishes the fight with Mosley Jr, a former sparring partner at the Apex in Las Vegas. “He’s a good boxer, smart. This will be an interesting fight. This is my weight division now, and it’s much better because I don’t need to cut a lot of weight like in the fight with Adams.”
He added about his last fight against Radzhab Butaev: “I changed weight division, first fight at 160 lbs, and I felt great and fought great. And this fight even more: more power, more great.”
Beyond the physical challenge, he has an extra motivation: this will be the first time his mother attends one of his fights. “Before, my mother has been one time to Europe and one time to Moscow. That’s it. She is 62 years old,” Bohachuk said with a smile. “Now I can bring my mother for my next fight. For me, this is really special. In Ukraine, it feels impossible to go to the USA, Las Vegas, Los Angeles. We just watch it in the cinema, like it’s impossible. Now I can show my mother everything.”
