Respected trainer Andre Rozier is hoping to have two new champions later this month when Havoc Boxing fighters Sergiy Derevyanchenko and Duke Micah contest world crowns on a stacked Showtime Pay-Per-View at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut on September 26.
Both have tough assignments, but are perhaps capable of upsetting the odds. Derevyanchenko, who has lost narrow decisions to Danny Jacobs and Gennady Golovkin, meets WBC middleweight king Jermall Charlo while unbeaten Ghanaian Micah locks horns with WBO super-flyweight champion John Riel Casimero on a busy night for Rozier.
But the Brooklyn fight figure is quietly confident about his fighters’ chances. “Things are wonderful right now. We have Duke Micah ready to shock the world against Casimero,” Rozier told Boxing Social. “Casimero is a great fighter and I’ve been studying him, but I believe we have developed a gameplan that will ultimately see Duke emerge victoriously.
“Sergiy is making his third attempt at the world title. You could argue that he won his first two attempts but we’re not taking any chances on this one.
“We are coming to stop the show and take it out of the judges’ hands, and I firmly believe that Team Havoc will have two new world champions on September 26.”
Trainer and advisor Rozier has been an integral part of the thriving New York boxing scene over the past three decades, both on an amateur and professional level.
He has guided multiple Golden Gloves and National Champions in the amateur code whilst featuring in the United States national team set-up when Andre Ward was a dominant force, prior to his Olympic Gold in Athens in 2004.
With eight world champions under his belt as a professional and potentially two more later this month, Rozier’s Havoc brand recently announced a link-up with MTK Global – with the duo working in unison to develop and promote talent in New York and beyond.
“We see boxing in extremely similar lights and our directives towards the progression of athletes are extremely similar,” said Rozier. “Essentially, we want what’s best for the fighters and that is why I think the partnership has come to fruition.
“I’m very excited to [help launch] Havoc talent that includes the likes of WSB representatives Romarick Ngolu, Brandon Lynch; national champions such as Dani Plata, Golden Gloves Champions Giovanni Scuderi and Alex Vargas; WBC regional champion Peter Dobson and many more. These are just a few of the excellent talents that are making their way through the ranks and I believe will be coming to a television screen near you in the near future thanks to this fantastic partnership.”
Main image: Derevyanchenko illustrated his standing at world level with a closely-fought encounter against Gennady Golovkin in October 2019. Photo: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing.