Sergiy Derevyanchenko speaks to the media during a press conference on August 15 in Quebec City, Canada. Photo credit: Mikey Williams, Top Rank
History suggests that Sergiy Derevyanchenko will have to settle into the role of an elite winger.
It's not just a future that this three-time winner is looking forward to.
A tough task awaits the Brooklyn-based Ukrainian, who will face undefeated super middleweight contender Christian Mbilli. Their scheduled 12-round bout headlines ESPN this Saturday from the Videotron Center in Quebec City, Canada.
“As soon as I heard about this fight, I decided to sign,” emphasized Derevyanchenko at the last press conference on Thursday before the fight. “This is the first man.”
Billi (27-0, 23 knockouts) is The Ring's No. 1-rated super middleweight. The only fighter above him at 168 is RING, WBC, WBA and WBO champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs).
Derevyanchenko (15-5, 10 KOs) has been here before and almost always falls short.
All five of his career defeats have come within his last eight fights, three of which have come within a shot at a major title. He pushed Daniel Jacobs—his longtime stablemate—to the finish line in their October 2018 IBF middleweight title fight.
A year later, many felt it was appropriate to give the nod to Gennadiy Golovkin with the same title at stake in the 2019 Fight of the Year-level slugfest.
Another Fight of the Year entry saw Derevyanchenko come up short against undefeated Jaime Munguia (43-1, 34 KOs) last June. Their fight was recognized by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) as the best fight of 2023.
Now, it's time for the 38-year-old gatekeeper to go through the cracks.
“All the fights I've had helped me get this opportunity,” emphasized Derevyanchenko, who defeated Vaughn Alexander on April 20 in Brooklyn. “I am ready for a tough fight. I saw him fight. You are strong. He is angry. But I'm ready.”
Billi has been running, as he continues to advance his competition. His last fight to go the distance was a ten-round decision against Carlos Gongora last March in Montreal.
Three straight wins followed. Included among them was England's Mark Heffron's 40-second sprint at his most recent outing on May 25 in Shawningan, Canada. This Cameroon born, French raised boxer has consistently proven himself on the elite and novice stage. He advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2016 Rio Olympics and is now on the brink of a major title fight with a win on Saturday.
Unlike Mbilli's previous opponents, Derevyanchenko is determined to prove that he is more than just the next stop on that journey.
“My experience is an advantage,” emphasized Derevyanchenko, who was 370-20 as a freshman and represented Ukraine in 2008 in Beijing. “It helped me. And we'll see what happens.”
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