Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Big drama show!

Kazakhstan’s most fearsome son returns to the world stage TONIGHT (Sat., Oct. 5, 2019) when Gennadiy Golovkin locks horns with fellow amateur great Sergiy Derevyanchenko inside Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y., for the vacant IBF Middleweight title.

Both men were pursuing a clash with Canelo Alvarez, Golovkin to settle their score after two razor-close battles and Derevyanchenko to enforce his status as mandatory challenger. Instead, Alvarez was stripped of his title after failing to come to terms with Derevyanchenko, so while he moves up to challenge Sergey Kovalev for the Light Heavyweight belt on Nov. 2, 2019, his two pursuers will duke it out for the vacant title.

Let’s see how it’ll go!

Gennady “GGG” Golovkin

Age: 37
Record: 39-1-1, 35 KO
Last Five Fights: Steve Rolls (KO-4), Canelo Alvarez (SD Loss), Vanes Martirosyan (KO-2), Canelo Alvarez (Split Draw), Daniel Jacobs (UD)
Significant Victories (other than those mentioned above): Kell Brook, David Lemieux, Curtis Stevens, Matthew Macklin, Grzegorz Proksa

VS.

Sergiy “The Technician” Derevyanchenko

Age: 33
Record: 13-1, 10 KO
Last Five Fights: Jack Culcay (UD), Daniel Jacobs (SD Loss), Dashon Johnson (RTD-6), Tureano Johnson (TKO-12), Kemahl Russell (TKO-5)
Significant Victories (other than those mentioned above): Sam Soliman

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THE FIGHT

It is neither controversial nor original to say that the 37-year-old Golovkin is no longer the destroyer of worlds who laid ruin to the Middleweight ranks with nary a flinch. He recently switched trainers in the pursuit of renewal, dropping long-time partner Abel Sanchez for Emanuel Steward protege Johnathan Banks, but Father Time can’t be rebuffed so easily.

Smashing Steve Rolls is one thing. Overcoming a legitimate Top 5-ranked contender like Derevyanchenko — who lives up to his nickname and hits pretty dang hard to boot — is another. Derevyanchenko gave a great fighter in Daniel Jacobs all he could handle and has both the experience and fortitude to stick to his gameplan before the Golovkin threat.

But, every time I think of some path to victory for him, it’s drowned out by the undimmed Kazakh Thunder.

What technical edge Derevyanchenko may have isn’t sufficient to make up for the fact that even a stray hit from “GGG” is enough to put him away. Jacobs dropped Derevyanchenko in the early going and even the light-punching Jack Culcay managed to hurt him once “The Technician” started to flag. Considering Golovkin’s body attack, Derevyanchenko’s gas tank will be a liability, and he’s dead to rights once it starts to go.

It’ll be plenty competitive in the early going. Unfortunately for Derevyanchenko, it’s only a matter of time before Golovkin clips him.

Prediction: Golovkin via sixth-round technical knockout

MMAmania will have LIVE coverage of the main event. The DAZN broadcast (watch it) begins with the undercard at 7 p.m. ET, continues with the main card at 9 p.m. ET, and culminates with Golovkin and Derevyanchenko entering the ring at “about 10:30 p.m. ET.”