It’s a major match-up in the Middleweight division this week as the Miracle Man is back on HBO. Get the details here.
Saturday night, the soon to be departed HBO Boxing presents a major fight in the 160 pounds Middleweight division as Daniel Jacobs (34-2; 29 KOs) faces Sergiy Derevyanchenko (12-0; 10 KOs) The fight is for the currently vacant IBF title. Ring Magazine has this as a top 5 battle, with Jacobs ranked #2 in the division, Derevyanchenko #4. The fight takes place this Saturday, October 27 live from the Theater at MSG and airs live on HBO with a fight time of 10:00 p.m. ET. Jacobs vs. Derevyanchenko headlines a triple-header that also includes Bellator fighter Heather Hardy making an anticipated HBO debut against Shelly Vincent.
How do these two stack up?
Jacobs: 31 years old | 5’11” | 73” reach | orthodox stance
Derevyanchenko: 32 years old | 5’9” | 67” reach | orthodox stance
What have these two done recently?
Jacobs: W – Maciej Sulecki (UD) | W – Luis Arias (UD) | L – Gennady Golovkin (UD)
Derevyanchenko: W – Dashon Johnson (RTD) | W – Tureano Johnson (TKO) | W – Kemahl Russell (TKO)
How did these two get here?
Any bio of Daniel Jacobs pretty much has to start with his amazing recovery from bone cancer in 2012. He’s 12-1 since, slowly rebuilding his career before hitting the big time a few years ago and scoring wins over some very impressive fighters including Sergio Mora and Peter Quillin. In 2017 he faced Gennady Golovkin, putting up a tremendous fight and just barely losing a close decision – the first time GGG had been taken to the cards since 2008. He’s come back and won 2 since. Jacobs is a serious power puncher with some great stoppage wins, though interestingly he has gone the distance in every fight since GGG; a change from his 12 straight stoppage wins before that.
Sergiy Derevyanchenko is just 12-0 and 4 years into his pro career, but he’s already a force at Middleweight. He’s a skilled amateur and 2008 Olympian who, like Jacobs, has some serious punching power. In 2017, he defeated Tureano Johnson, and with the win became IBF’s mandatory challenger to Golovkin. When GGG didn’t sign the fight, he was stripped of the title on the line here. Derevyanchenko is definitely not as proven as Jacobs, but this is a big opportunity for him.
What can fans expect?
The easy pick is Jacobs. He has the experience edge, plus good power, speed, and technique and he’s beaten a caliber of opponent that Derevyanchenko just hasn’t. Jacobs is the betting favorite, but only at -190, which speaks to the reputation Derevyanchenko has built up in a relatively short time. Still, Derevyanchenko doesn’t seem to have the skills Jacobs has. Picking the underdog here means either you see his ceiling as quite high (which it might be), you weren’t particularly impressed by either of Jacobs’ last two fights (which is fair), or you see some similarities between Derevyanchenko and the two men who hold wins over Jacobs (which is fair). So should Jacobs win? Yes, probably. But this is no slam dunk by any means.
Prediction: Daniel Jacobs, UD
Should you watch?
Yes. This is an interesting fight, and should be an entertaining one too. Oh, and tune in early for Hardy vs. Vincent, which could be pretty great.