NEW YORK -- One of HBO boxing's last cards before leaving the boxing business should be a good one. It will be a tripleheader, headlined by a middleweight title fight between Sergey Derevyachenko (12-0, 10 KOs) and Daniel Jacobs (34-2, 29 KOs) on Oct. 27. Not only will Derevyachenko and Jacobs be gunning for big name fights, but also for a vacant IBF strap.
Derevyachenko is a 32-year-old orthodox fighter from Ukraine. He works behind a jab that he uses as a rangefinder but he will also put some power behind it at times. Along with that jab Derevyachenko also flashes plenty of power. He does a nice job of attacking the body, especially with his left hook but his best weapon might be his big right hand. While he is known for his power he does have skills to go along with that pop and he typically likes to play the role of aggressor. Because he likes to come forward he is there to be hit but so far he has shown a good chin.
Like many Eastern European fighters, Derevyachenko got a late start to his professional career. He's only been fighting professionally for four years and all of his career wins have come by the way of knockout or unanimous decision. As impressive as Derevyachenko has been, he does lack a marquee win. Arguably his two best wins to date came against a faded Sam Soliman and a quality Tureano Johnson. However, his most recent opponent had absolutely no power, a bad chin, and a record of 22-22-3. While he seems ready for the next step, that step will be a big one because he's never been in the ring with someone like Jacobs, at least not as a pro.
It doesn't seem like he gets enough credit for it but Jacobs is one of the biggest punchers in boxing. He's an athletic middleweight who also happens to have plenty of skills to accompany that power. He has an excellent jab that can control rounds and also helps set up his power attack. That power attack comes in both hands and Jacobs has a strong left hook and a good right hand he will throw straight or over the top. Another thing Jacobs does well is attacking the body and with his skills he is able to box from the outside and bang on the inside. While Jacobs will have a slight height advantage against Derevyachenko, he will have a serious reach advantage of nearly 6-inches and that could really help him control the pace and distance of this fight.
Jacobs' career has been well documented. Shortly after suffering the first loss of his career in 2010 Jacobs was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer. The cancer left him temporarily unable to walk and doctors told him that he'd probably never box again. Yet Jacobs persisted and has gone on to have an excellent pro career which has seen him win a WBA middleweight title. Jacobs holds wins over fighters like Caleb Truax, Sergio Mora, Peter Quillin, and Maciej Sulecki and he recently lost a very close fight to Gennady Golovkin. Now Jacobs will have to handle Derevyachenko in order to capture a second world title and get the big fights he craves.
In this fight Jacobs should really look to use his reach advantage against Derevyachenko. Jacobs is skilled enough to win fights from the outside so look for him to be very busy with his jab while following it up with plenty of hard straight right hands. However, he will also need to put in work on the inside and should look to pound the body of the Ukrainian. As for Derevyachenko, he will need to get inside to find success. If he stays on the outside he will be eating Jacobs' jab all night. However, if he can get inside the pocket on a consistent basis he could do damage downstairs on Jacobs and catch him upstairs too. Whoever is able to control the distance in this fight should also control the outcome.
PREDICTION: Daniel Jacobs has very good power, plenty of skills, and a serious reach advantage. While Sergey Derevyachenko is a heavy-handed and seriously dangerous fighter, he won't have enough to beat Jacobs. Jacobs will fight intelligently and box mostly from the outside on his way to a close but clear unanimous decision victory.
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| Derevyachenko admiring his knockdown |
Like many Eastern European fighters, Derevyachenko got a late start to his professional career. He's only been fighting professionally for four years and all of his career wins have come by the way of knockout or unanimous decision. As impressive as Derevyachenko has been, he does lack a marquee win. Arguably his two best wins to date came against a faded Sam Soliman and a quality Tureano Johnson. However, his most recent opponent had absolutely no power, a bad chin, and a record of 22-22-3. While he seems ready for the next step, that step will be a big one because he's never been in the ring with someone like Jacobs, at least not as a pro.
It doesn't seem like he gets enough credit for it but Jacobs is one of the biggest punchers in boxing. He's an athletic middleweight who also happens to have plenty of skills to accompany that power. He has an excellent jab that can control rounds and also helps set up his power attack. That power attack comes in both hands and Jacobs has a strong left hook and a good right hand he will throw straight or over the top. Another thing Jacobs does well is attacking the body and with his skills he is able to box from the outside and bang on the inside. While Jacobs will have a slight height advantage against Derevyachenko, he will have a serious reach advantage of nearly 6-inches and that could really help him control the pace and distance of this fight.
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| Jacobs catching Maciej Sulecki with a straight right hand |
In this fight Jacobs should really look to use his reach advantage against Derevyachenko. Jacobs is skilled enough to win fights from the outside so look for him to be very busy with his jab while following it up with plenty of hard straight right hands. However, he will also need to put in work on the inside and should look to pound the body of the Ukrainian. As for Derevyachenko, he will need to get inside to find success. If he stays on the outside he will be eating Jacobs' jab all night. However, if he can get inside the pocket on a consistent basis he could do damage downstairs on Jacobs and catch him upstairs too. Whoever is able to control the distance in this fight should also control the outcome.
PREDICTION: Daniel Jacobs has very good power, plenty of skills, and a serious reach advantage. While Sergey Derevyachenko is a heavy-handed and seriously dangerous fighter, he won't have enough to beat Jacobs. Jacobs will fight intelligently and box mostly from the outside on his way to a close but clear unanimous decision victory.
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