Three Punch Combo: Building a Case for Derevyanchenko and More

THREE PUNCH COMBO — Long time former middleweight kingpin Gennady Golovkin (39-1-1, 35 KO’s) will look to recapture a middleweight title belt when he faces Sergiy Derevyanchenko (13-1, 10 KO’s) for the vacant IBF crown on Saturday. While Golovkin is a prohibitive favorite, there are plenty of reasons why Derevyanchenko could pull an upset.

Golovkin’s Weight

Golovkin turned pro as a middleweight at age 24 in May of 2006. Now 37, Golovkin continues to campaign as a middleweight at a point in time in his career where many other fighters would have moved up in weight. Granted, Golovkin has proven to be in phenomenal shape each and every time he has set foot in the ring but there has to come a point in time – and I know I have brought this up before — where continuously squeezing down to 160 takes a toll on his body.

He is not a young fighter anymore. If suddenly shedding those couple extra pounds becomes much harder for this fight, we could see a much more flatter version of Golovkin and that would not bode well for his chances of regaining a middleweight title belt.

Golovkin’s Defense

Golovkin has never been known for his defense. And for most of his career, he has not had to worry much about the defensive aspect. Why should he? His ferocious power was usually enough to keep opponents from throwing any meaningful punches.

But in recent years, Golovkin has abandoned defense even more so. He has fallen in love with his power to the point where he is almost blinded to the other aspects of the game. It began in 2016 with the Kell Brook fight. We saw it again when Golovkin faced Steve Rolls this past June. His opponents just can’t miss when they throw.

Derevyanchenko is nicknamed “The Technician” and for good reason. He is a sharp accurate puncher. Given Golovkin’s lack of focus on defense, if Derevyanchenko lets his hands go with some frequency, he is going to land crisp hard punches on Golovkin early and often.

Golovkin’s Focus

Golovkin signed with DAZN with the clear intent of getting a third fight with Canelo Alvarez. That fight was supposed to take place earlier this month. It would have been a massive event and given Golovkin the opportunity he so desires to make a firm statement as to whom is ultimately the better fighter.

Of course, the third fight to complete the trilogy has not happened and who knows if it ever will? Golovkin did not want to fight Derevyanchenko; he wanted the mega fight. A letdown and lack of focus is a real possibility here.

Under The Radar Fight

On the Golovkin-Derevyanchenko undercard, fast rising Israil Madrimov (3-0, 3 KO’s) returns to the ring to face tough veteran Alejandro Barrera (29-5, 18 KO’s). If you haven’t seen Madrimov fight yet, I’d highly suggest tuning in early as the 24-year old, 154-pound prospect from Uzbekistan has the look of a potential superstar.

When the year began Madrimov was not on my radar. But I was ringside at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, NY for his second pro fight and watched him annihilate then 24-2 ring veteran Frank Rojas. It was not supposed to be an easy fight for Madrimov, but he displayed not only dazzling ring skills but destructive one punch power in knocking Rojas out in the second round.

Watching his footwork that night against Rojas, I thought I was witnessing a clone of Vasiliy Lomachenko. And then there was the hand speed. It is elite and can be blinding at times. There is no doubt in my mind that Madrimov has all the tools to one day be one of the sport’s top pound for pound fighters.

Barrera is a pretty big step up in class for Madrimov. A solid veteran, Barrera has faced some solid opponents and has pulled off some surprises along the way. Just two years ago, he pulled a mild upset in winning a 10-round split decision against Eddie Gomez. And last year he gave undefeated 154-pound contender Carlos Adames a stern test in dropping a 10-round unanimous decision. Barrera has also proven to be very durable having only been stopped once in his career and that was to Errol Spence Jr. in 2015.

Barrera should be an excellent litmus test for Madrimov. And given the fact that Barrera is also a come-forward pressure fighter who is generally willing to exchange with his opponents, we should also be in store for an entertaining fight. If Madrimov can become the second man to stop Barrera, it would be quite a statement considering that this is just his fourth professional fight.

What’s Next For Shawn Porter?

Shawn Porter (30-3-1, 17 KO’s) fought valiantly and exceeded the expectations of most experts in dropping a 12-round split decision to Errol Spence Jr. (26-0, 21 KO’s) in their welterweight title unification fight on Saturday. This was one of those rare situations where the stock of a big name fighter actually increased in defeat.

Going forward, Porter has some intriguing options. A bout with someone like Sergey Lipinets or Jamal James would be very interesting. However, Porter is soon to be 32 and at this point in his career I think he only seeks big fights. I just don’t think the money to fight someone like Lipinets or James would be enough to sniff his interest.

One big name who is also coming off a recent split decision loss that could be on Porter’s radar is former opponent Keith Thurman. Their first fight in 2016 was a candidate for fight of the year and there would certainly be plenty of fan interest in the rematch. Not only would both men make plenty of money for a rematch, but the winner would then be positioned for an even bigger money opportunity down the road.

But despite the fact that Porter and Thurman are both aligned with PBC, a rematch is far from a sure thing. Thurman is on the mend again having recently had surgery on his left hand and who knows when he will be looking to return? As for Porter, as I detailed  last week, he is a big welterweight and I would not be surprised if he heads north to 154.

If Porter does go to 154, another possible match for him would be a rematch with Kell Brook. Brook appears ready to restart his career and though a bout with Amir Khan is being discussed, there is no guarantee that it happens.

With big fight options other than Khan somewhat limited for Brook, he may look to a return engagement with Porter. This fight would be a big draw in the UK and the winner would then be poised for something even bigger.

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