Derevyanchenko to Face Charlo in Fall
Well, all the speculation can now be put to bed; middleweight contender Sergiy “The Technician” Derevyanchenko (13-2, 10 KO’s) will face WBC world middleweight champion Jermall “Hit Man” Charlo (30-0, 22 KO’s) in either September or October.
It has been widely reported that The Technician was presented offers to face both Charlo and WBA super world middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KO’s). Yet, as told to the Athletic, Derevyanchenko chose the Hit Man over the Mexican superstar. Along with the actual date, the venue of the bout is still up for consideration.
LUCKY #3?
The upcoming showdown will mark Derevyanchenko’s third attempt at a world title. His first failed outing took place on October 27, 2018 when he lost a close split decision loss to Daniel “The Miracle Man” Jacobs (36-3, 30 KO’s). As indicated by the judges’ conflicting scorecards, the bout was extremely competitive.
The dust-up also had an added element of interest. Both The Miracle Man and the Ukrainian boxer shared the same head trainer in Andre Rozier. Having been linked with Jacobs longer, Rozier chose to serve as the chief second in his corner. Since this fight however, Rozier and Jacobs have undergone a seemingly ugly separation and no longer work together. Presently, Andre Rozier acts like he could not be happier to still be training Derevyanchenko.
The Technician would then go on to lose his second attempt at a world title to IBF world middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (40-1-1, 35 KO’s) last October 5, 2019. This second defeat was arguably far more bitter than the first. The reason being that most who saw the fight felt as if Derevyanchenko was the actual victor. It was only the scorecards that didn’t align.
TOUGH TEST OR JUST THE NEXT GUY?
The Hit Man was briefly the interim WBC champion back in 2019. He was elevated to full champion when the former champion, Canelo Alvarez, was granted WBC ‘Franchise champion’ status. Despite many fans and industry insiders wanting to see Charlo and Alvarez go head-to-head, this fight has never seemed close to becoming a reality.
Charlo was last in the ring on December 7, 2019 when he overwhelmed and stopped Dennis “Hurricane” Hogan (28-3-1, 7 KO’s). For many, the Technician will stand as the Hit Man’s sternest in-ring professional challenge. Prior to Derevyanchenko, the biggest names on his ledger belong to a somewhat faded Austin “No Doubt” Trout (32-5-1, 18 KO’s) and Julian “J-Rock” Williams (27-2-1, 16 KO’s).
This will be Sergiy Derevyanchenko’s third, and potential last, attempt at a world title. It will be fun to see how the he and Jermall Charlo mesh in the ring.
By: Bakari Simpson
