Sergiy Derevyanchenko addresses the media throughout Aug. 15 press convention in Quebec Metropolis, Canada. Photograph credit score: Mikey Williams, Prime Rank
Historical past means that Sergiy Derevyanchenko must accept the function of high-profile sidekick.
It’s simply not a destiny able to be accepted by the three-time title challenger.
A frightening activity awaits the Brooklyn-based Ukrainian, who faces unbeaten high tremendous middleweight contender Christian Mbilli. Their scheduled 12-round contest headlines an ESPN present this Saturday from Videotron Centre in Quebec Metropolis, Canada.
“As quickly as I heard about this struggle, I made a decision I used to be going to signal,” Derevyanchenko insisted throughout Thursday’s ultimate pre-fight press convention. “That is the primary man.”
Mbilli (27-0, 23 knockouts) is The Ring’s No. 1-rated tremendous middleweight contender. The one fighter above him at 168 is RING, WBC, WBA and WBO champ Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs).
Derevyanchenko (15-5, 10 KOs) has been right here earlier than and has virtually all the time fallen brief.
All 5 profession defeats have come inside his previous eight fights, three for a serious title. He pushed Daniel Jacobs—his longtime stablemate—to the brink of their Oct. 2018 IBF middleweight title struggle.
One yr later, many felt he deserved the nod over Gennadiy Golovkin with the identical title at stake of their 2019 Struggle of the Yr-level slugfest.
One other Struggle of the Yr entry noticed Derevyanchenko come simply brief versus then-unbeaten Jaime Munguia (43-1, 34 KOs) final June. Their bout was honored by the Boxing Writers Affiliation of America (BWAA) as the perfect struggle of 2023.
Now, it’s time for the 38-year-old gatekeeper to recover from the hump.
“Each struggle that I’ve had has helped me get this chance,” insisted Derevyanchenko, who defeated Vaughn Alexander on April 20 in Brooklyn. “I’m prepared for an aggressive struggle. I’ve seen him struggle. He’s robust. He’s aggressive. However I’m prepared.”
Mbilli has been on a roll, at the same time as they proceed to advance his competitors. His final struggle to go the space was in a ten-round resolution over Carlos Gongora final March in Montreal.
Three straight knockout wins have adopted. Included amongst them was a 40-second blitzing of England’s Mark Heffron in his most up-to-date outing on Might 25 in Shawningan, Canada. The Cameroon-born, France-raised boxer has steadily confirmed himself each on the professional and beginner stage. He superior to the 2016 Rio Olympic quarterfinals and is now on the doorstep of a serious title struggle with a win on Saturday.
In contrast to Mbilli’s prior opponents, Derevyanchenko is set to show he’s extra than simply the following cease on that journey.
“My expertise is a bonus,” insists Derevyanchenko, who was 370-20 as an beginner and represented Ukraine in 2008 Beijing. “It has helped me. And we’ll see what occurs.”
