Sergiy Derevyanchenko addresses the media during Aug. 15 press conference in Quebec City, Canada. Photo credit: Mikey Williams, Top Rank
History suggests that Sergiy Derevyanchenko will have to settle for the role of high-profile sidekick.
It’s just not a fate ready to be accepted by the three-time title challenger.
A daunting task awaits the Brooklyn-based Ukrainian, who faces unbeaten top super middleweight contender Christian Mbilli. Their scheduled 12-round contest headlines an ESPN show this Saturday from Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada.
“As soon as I heard about this fight, I decided I was going to sign,” Derevyanchenko insisted during Thursday’s final pre-fight press conference. “This is the number one guy.”
Mbilli (27-0, 23 knockouts) is The Ring’s No. 1-rated super middleweight contender. The only 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 here before and has almost always fallen short.
All five career defeats have come within his past eight fights, three for a major title. He pushed Daniel Jacobs—his longtime stablemate—to the brink in their Oct. 2018 IBF middleweight title fight.
One year later, many felt he deserved the nod over Gennadiy Golovkin with the same title at stake in their 2019 Fight of the Year-level slugfest.
Another Fight of the Year entry saw Derevyanchenko come just short versus then-unbeaten Jaime Munguia (43-1, 34 KOs) last June. Their bout was honored by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) as the very best fight of 2023.
Now, it’s time for the 38-year-old gatekeeper to get over the hump.
“Every fight that I’ve had has helped me get this opportunity,” insisted Derevyanchenko, who defeated Vaughn Alexander on April 20 in Brooklyn. “I’m ready for an aggressive fight. I’ve seen him fight. He is strong. He is aggressive. But I’m ready.”
Mbilli has been on a roll, even as they continue to advance his competition. His last fight to go the distance was in a ten-round decision over Carlos Gongora last March in Montreal.
Three straight knockout wins have followed. Included among them was a 40-second blitzing of England’s Mark Heffron in his most recent outing on May 25 in Shawningan, Canada. The Cameroon-born, France-raised boxer has steadily proven himself both on the pro and amateur stage. He advanced to the 2016 Rio Olympic quarterfinals and is now on the doorstep of a major title fight with a win on Saturday.
Unlike Mbilli’s prior opponents, Derevyanchenko is determined to prove he’s more than just the next stop on that journey.
“My experience is an advantage,” insists Derevyanchenko, who was 370-20 as an amateur and represented Ukraine in 2008 Beijing. “It has helped me. And we will see what happens.”
