Daniel Jacobs vs Sergiy Derevyanchenko
Daniel Jacobs (34-2,29 KOs) vs Sergiy Derevyanchenko (12-0,10 KOs) looks to be a high stakes affair due to circumstances and reward. These fighters having shared several camps and have a lot of rounds sparred. Even more importantly, it’s for the IBF middleweight title stripped from Gennady Golovkin.
Rounds 1 to 4
Early on, Sergiy showed considerable aggression that culminated in Derevyanchenko hitting Jacobs on what Jacobs felt was a break. Jacobs, however, got revenge with hard counter right-hand over the Ukrainian’s jab.
At the start of round two, the former WBA champion looked to be a little more calculated and established his jab. Derevyanchenko cleverly adjusted to this change and landed a left hook followed by an overhand right. It caused Jacobs to stumble and put him on his bicycle. He regained his composure down the stretch of the round and landed several hard body shots.
To start round three, Derevyanchenko is much more comfortable as the aggressor, stalking his opponent. However, his opponent was undaunted and stuck to his game-plan of attacking the body. The underdog was able to land single shots, while Jacobs’ speed started to surface and he landed in combination.
Derevyanchenko made another adjustment by incorporating a double jab starting in round four. He had some success with this and landed several right hand shots off of it. Jacobs, by the end of the round adjusted to this by slipping to the inside of the jab and landing a right hand on Derevyanchenko’s ear wobbling him. This may have won him the round.
Rounds 5 to 8
In round five, Derevyanchenko started aggressively looking for bodywork of his own. This somewhat handcuffed Jacobs early on. The former WBA champion landed occasional jabs and shovel hooks to the body with both hands. Derevyanchenko still maintains his work rate and has himself a pretty good round.
To start round six, the Andre Rozier protege switches southpaw and uses the outside angle to land several hard combinations to the body and head. The Ukranian landed some counters here and there, even though he was visibly breathing hard from his mouth. This round was spirited, but the versatility of the former champion really showed.
Round seven saw Jacobs turns southpaw and establish the punching angle to lineup his left hand. He seems comfortable as he shortens his step-and-slide and pivot footwork to stay within punching range while negating Derevyanchenko’s ability to step forward.
Round eight starts with Derevyanchenko breathing hard but, he still comes forward to throw his jab-hook combination. Jacobs immediately counters with an uppercut. Derevyanchenko’s determination is apparent as he adjusts by feinting and throwing body jabs to create openings. Jacobs still maintains his accuracy but, his punch volume is a little lower.
Round 9 and On
Jacobs starts round nine on his bicycle from the southpaw stance. Derevyanchenko starts to look for left hooks to Jacobs body. He lands some but, doesn’t seem to land with authority which maybe problematic scoring wise due to the snap of Jacobs punches.
Now we’re starting the championship rounds, and Sergiy is pushing himself. He’s rewarded with several left hooks and a hard right hand to Jacobs’ chin.
Round ten was good for Derevyanchenko as he landed several hard shots while maintaining the close range that favored him. As round eleven starts, the favorite seems a little to relaxed. Derevyanchenko takes advantage of this by swarming his opponent. The , however, used his roll counter to sting Derevyanchenko and back him off. This led to Jacobs being able to throw combinations of his own. This round is close, and can go either way.
In round twelve, Derevyanchenko goes all out. He’s rewarded by being able to pin his opponent to the ropes and swamp him with activity. The former champion takes several shots, but rolls them well enough to keep from getting hit completely flush. Excellent twelfth round for Derevyanchenko but, probably not enough to win the fight.
114-113, 115-112, and 115-112 were the scores as the favorite won a split decision. The scorecards seemed a little off but, he is now the current IBF middleweight champion. He is now in excellent shape to make a big fight for the first quarter of 2019.
By: Corey Cunningham
