Derevyanchenko loses title fight again, but it is not the end for him

The Ukrainian middleweight lost, but once again showed a decent level.

This morning in Uncasville, Connecticut, Feodosia native Sergey Derevyanchenko (13-3, 10 KO) fought for a world championship title for the third time in the last two years. But once again, this peak eluded him: the outcome of a tight, high-class fight was a unanimous decision victory for reigning WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo (31-0, 22 KO).

How Charlo and Derevyanchenko got here

Although the younger of the Charlo twin brothers started his professional career earlier and had influential promoters from the very start, it was Jermall who was first to reach the world title. In September 2015, he easily dealt with veteran Cornelius Bundrage, taking the IBF super middleweight belt from him in less than three full rounds. A-Charlo made three defenses, including a hard-fought one against former champion Austin Trout, after which he vacated the title and moved up to middleweight.

In recent years, the main action at 160 pounds has involved Saul Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin. And although Jermall Charlo has always been considered an elite middleweight, he became a champion in the second division through bureaucratic maneuvering, when the WBC elevated Canelo to 'franchise' status and gave the American a full title. The main problem for 'Hitman' was the lack of options for big fights, which prompted A-Charlo to consider moving up in weight still further. Then the option with Sergey Derevyanchenko emerged, who became a tempting target for anyone in the division after a dubious loss to Gennady Golovkin.

Sergey first fought for a title in autumn 2018, when he faced 'stablemate' Daniel Jacobs and lost a close decision, which was largely due to the work of his trainer Andre Rozier in his opponent's corner. Six months later he defeated former champion Jack Culcay, and in October 2019 the Ukrainian entered the ring against star Gennady Golovkin. As in the fight with Jacobs, Sergey was knocked down early, after which he not only leveled the fight but looked better than the favorite. Although the judges did not appreciate Derevyanchenko's efforts and awarded the win to 'GGG', most experts and fans disagreed. Sergey received excellent press, which put him in the position of a pleasant choice between Saul Alvarez and Jermall Charlo.

Jermall Charlo proved too good

Before today's fight, the older Charlo had fought five bouts at middleweight, but his record contained no truly top-level fighters. Sergey Derevyanchenko was Jermall's first test at the elite level, and he passed it with credit.

The champion's strengths were considered to be his outstanding reach, excellent jab and well-placed right hand. Sergey was known for good work in combination at mid-to-close range and the ability to impose a high pace that opponents struggled to handle. At the same time, 'Technician' was never considered a mindless slugger who simply pushes forward; he earned his nickname not by chance, but for refined skill and boxing intelligence.

The champion started the fight as expected. He used his big advantage in reach and tried to set up his opponent with the jab and catch him with counter hooks. Early on, the Ukrainian could not get close effectively, and in the third round he nearly ended up on the canvas after taking a left hook.

In the middle rounds Derevyanchenko settled in, and he more often managed to break through to his preferred distance and spend longer in extended attacks on the inside. However, Sergey had two major problems.

First, Charlo was not helpless at close range. He did not rush to tie up the aggressor, and often took the fight with excellent punches, especially uppercuts landing well.

Second, even the brief time after the fighters were separated was enough for Jermall to use his lead hand to win favor in the eyes of the judges. According to the statistics, Sergey outpunched his opponent in power punches: 163 of 507 landed versus 134 of 328 for the champion. But the decisive factor was the jab, where A-Charlo's advantage was beyond doubt: 85 of 299 versus 17 of 174 for the challenger.

By the championship rounds, Sergey's face was covered with bleeding cuts and hematomas, but he stubbornly kept coming forward and throwing punches. By then he was physically worn down: the high pace of the fight and the earlier punches he had taken told, while Jermall looked fresher and continued to work well off his opponent, coolly executing his fight plan. The judges' scorecards were too generous to the champion (118-110, 117-111, 116-112), but his victory was fully deserved and not in question.

Will Derevyanchenko get a fourth shot at the title?

Although in his last four fights Sergey has won only once, he remains well regarded in the division. Few at 160 pounds can match Derevyanchenko for the quality of his opponents over the last two years, and, setting aside Saul Alvarez, who moves between weight classes, he has perhaps no equal in this respect.

By the way, Saul Alvarez may now become Sergey's main target. Previously he had several options for continuing his career, including a fight with the star Mexican, but they failed to agree on money, so the choice fell on 'Hitman'. It is still unclear how Saul's legal disputes with his employers at DAZN will end, but the option of returning to the Ukrainian's candidacy cannot be ruled out. At the very least, Canelo would surely prefer such an option to a tiresome third fight with Gennady Golovkin.

Still, Sergey will hardly be able to avoid intermediate fights. A good option would be a bout against the winner of the match between Ronnald Ellis and Matvey Korobov or Hugo Centeno. If a decision is made to return straight to a more serious fight, which is hard to believe after a series of grueling mega-fights, then the candidates Erickson Lubin or Willie Monroe Jr. are suggested.

Either way, Sergey Derevyanchenko has proven that he is a top boxer in his division, and such fighters have certain preferences that allow them to act without worrying about their place in the rankings. So the possibility of a future rematch with 'GGG', who is still fixated on the red-haired Mexican, should not be ruled out, since the whole world believes the Kazakh was helped in their first fight, and he has something to prove.