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Charlo remains the WBC middleweight champion.
So far it’s a good start for the Charlo Twins in their pay-per-view debut.
Jermall Charlo (31-0, 22 KOs) was in tough against Ukraine’s Sergiy Derevyanchenko (13-3, 10 KOs), but he noticeably wobbled him twice over the course of twelve entertaining rounds on his way to a unanimous decision victory. Charlo remains the WBC middleweight champion and this is by far the best win of his career.
Charlo’s first big moment occurred towards the end of round three, when he rocked Derevyanchenko with a right hand and a left hook. There was not enough time for Charlo to go in for the knockdown if not the finish outright. Derevyanchenko recovered well and did get himself back into the fight by increasing his workrate and working more on the inside as opposed to at range, where Charlo’s jab was giving him all sorts of problems.
In round eight, Derevyanchenko started to pour on the pressure in the eighth round and assert his will and preferred fighting style. Just when it looked as if he would take the round comfortably, Charlo badly hurt him with another massive right hand and again the bell essentially saved Derevyanchenko, whom by this point was already cut around one eye and swollen on the other.
Derevyanchenko made a serious charge in the last few rounds and was the more active of the two fighters, but it wasn’t nearly enough on the scorecards and Charlo’s power was also far more noticeable in terms of punch impact. The scores from two of the three judges don’t do justice as to how fun and high-level this fight was, but the winner was never really in doubt.
Official result: Jermall Charlo (c) def. Sergiy Derevyanchenko by unanimous decision (116-112, 117-111, 118-110) to remain the WBC middleweight champion
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