Photo: Amanda Wescott – The ‘Technician’ at work against one of the greats, in a fight where more than one had won…
Who is the best boxer to never hold a belt? Sergiy Derevyanchenko.
Who is the best boxer in history with a record of 15-5? Sergiy Derevyanchenko.
Who lost to Daniel Jacobs, Gennady Golovkin, Jermall Charlo, Carlos Adames and Jaime Munguia, but could have been declared victorious in 4 of the 5 fights? Sergiy Derevyanchenko.
Who is coming to face Christian Mbilli in Quebec on August 17? Sergiy Derevyanchenko.
Here we are
I suspected that it was a matter of time before EOTTM announced a big international fight for Christian Mbilli. The start of her contract with Top Rank, the presence of ESPN and the fact that Camille Estephan is not the type to watch the train go by without boarding the lead car.
Even though it was the logical choice, I tended to exclude the Ukrainian from the mix, he won US$400,000 against Jaime Munguia. An amount that is frightening based on current insurance in Quebec.
That brings us to this magnificent duel between the 2 best boxers not to hold a super-middleweight title.
Who is Derevyanchenko?
Hang in there, he’s had some fights in his long career. Record of 390-20 in Olympic boxing, 23-1 in World Boxing Series, 15-5 in professional boxing.
Nicknamed the ‘Technician’ due to his perfectionist side in training, he rarely or rarely makes mistakes in a fight without being spectacular and going for the fight of the year every time.
Anecdote: he was at David Lemieux’s training camp to prepare him against Gennady Golovkin, after taking a terrible hook on day 1, he was never again hit solidly by Lemieux.
Sergiy is trained by Andre Rozier, one of the best coaches in the world, a man known for his multi-scenario game plans, he always has the right word between rounds to create pivotal moments in a fight.
I’m already salivating at the duel between Marc Ramsay and Andre Rozier before, during and after the fight.
Derevyanchenko’s forces
He’s a tiny 168 pounds and he’s 38 years old… but when the fight starts he’s your worst nightmare. Jaime Munguia went through hell against the Ukrainian, 7 out of 10 amateurs had Sergiy winning. His favorite move is the front hand hook.
Boxers who have had success against Christian Mbilli have done so by keeping him busy defensively. Mohammedi, before being sent to Europe in one slap, had the right game plan. He threw with both hands without much power, but forced Mbilli to protect himself and think about his defense.
Derevyanchenko’s worst flaw
He has this tendency to not be focused in round no. 1. Jacobs and Golovkin sent him to the back at the start of the fight and, in the end, it was this fall that allowed them to escape with a victory.
Such an important fight
Christian Mbilli has no right to lose against Sergiy Derevyanchenko. I know it… It’s a cliché as old as time, but it’s the truth. The 168 division is on the move and to participate, you have to win.
Saul Alvarez will relinquish his IBF title. No. 1 contender William Scull is looking for an opponent to fight for the title and expect the winner of Mbilli-Derevyanchenko to be the mandatory challenger and first title defense.
The WBC no longer has an interim champion with the departure of David Benavidez at 175 pounds.
The WBA has not ruled, but its regular champion is also down to 175, tired of waiting for the redhead who is blocking the division. Aspirant No. 1, Edgar Berlanga is, like Sergiy, represented by Keith Connolly, the best manager in the business at the moment. And then, EOTTM controls ranks no. 2 (Mbilli) and no. 3 (Bazinyan).
Conclusion
I give myself the right to use clichés from the world of boxing repeatedly in my texts. Here, I would characterize the fight of Christian Mbilli and Sergiy Derevyanchenko as a 50/50 duel where tossing a coin in the air is worth any expert prediction.
My pick: 114-113 for Christian Mbilli, I also predict that the fight will be over 12 rounds rather than the 10 announced by Top Rank.
