After two narrow points losses in world title bids, Sergiy Derevyanchenko is determined to make it third time lucky when he meets WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Casino on September 26.
Derevyanchenko (13-2, 10 KOs) was last seen pushing IBF middleweight king Gennady Golovkin to the brink in October 2019, a fight the Ukrainian believes he won.
“I felt I won the GGG fight and I was disappointed that I didn’t get the result but that’s boxing. I was proud to put on a great fight and showed the boxing world that I am at the top of the middleweight division,” Derevyanchenko told Boxing Social.
“We had a great camp for the GGG fight and that was reflected in the performance, I believe. [Head trainer] Andre Rozier, Gary Stark Sr., Sergiy Korchynskyy Jr., and the team at SNAC were fantastic. I had great sparring with the likes of Edgar Berlanga Jr. and it showed in the fight.
“I rested well after the fight, but I always train and stay ready for the call to come from my advisor Keith Connolly, who has been a blessing in my career. When the call came for Charlo, I was ready to get straight back into the camp lifestyle and continue working on the improvements that I made prior to GGG.”
Photo: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing USA.
The Brooklyn-based Ukrainian now heads into a Pay-Per-View main event with Charlo (30-0, 22 KOs) for the Houston native’s WBC crown. He ultimately believes his know-how will prove too much for the unbeaten champion.
“Charlo is a very good talent. You don’t become world champion by luck. He is a good fighter and I am preparing myself for the best Jermall Charlo and I believe that will lead to a great fight on Showtime PPV. This fight will be a real PPV fight,” he said.
“I believe I am still improving. Team Havoc are always pushing me to improve in different ways. Every day is different and I am pushed to continue to improve as much as I can in every session. My energy to get better is still there and I am getting a better fighter.
“This fight is going to be a great fight, but I believe that my experience and skillset will be too much for Charlo. I mean no disrespect, but I believe I am at a level where Jermall has never been at before. He has not boxed anybody with my skills and it will show on the night when I become WBC middleweight champion of the world.”
Photo: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing USA.