In a questionably scored fight, former IBF/WBC/WBC middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin (40-1-1, 35 KOs) won a 12 round unanimous decision over Sergiy Derevyanchenko (13-2, 10 KOs) on Saturday night to win the vacant International Boxing Federation 160-lb title in front of a large crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York. The fight was steamed on DAZN.
The judges scored it for Golovkin 114-113, 115-112 and 115-112. Boxing 247 had it for Derevyanchenko 115-112. GGG didn’t do enough to deserve the victory tonight, which is why the crowd booed him from the moment the scores were announced until he left the ring. It was shocking to hear Golovkin get booed so badly for such a long time.
Things started out well for Golovkin with him knocking down the nervous looking Derevyanchenko in round 1. GGG caught Derevyanchenko while he was ducking, and the shot hit him on the top of the head to drop him. That was the beginning of the end for Golovkin, as Derevyanchenko came back strong in round 2, and dominated the remainder of the fight.
The judges’ scores didn’t reflect the fight that took place tonight, but GGG had been on the receiving end of questionable decisions himself in the past. This time things went his way in a fight that he clearly deserved to lose.
Golovkin looked old, slow and unable to pull the trigger on his shots. Although the final punch states from CompuBox didn’t reflect it, Derevyanchenko outworked and out-landed Golovkin in almost every round of the fight.
After the fight, Golovkin was asked if he would give Derevyanchenko a rematch, and he said he would, but he also said he wants the Saul Canelo Alvarez trilogy match. In other words, it’s not likely that GGG will fight Derevyanchenko in an immediate rematch.
Nikita Ababiy recorded another first round KO at Madison Square Garden in New York tonight.
Ababiy (7-0 6 KOs) registered his fifth first round KO win against Isiah Seldon at the mecca of boxing in the Big Apple, a sixth KO win from his seven pro fights since making his debut in Chicago a year ago this weekend.
‘White Chocolate’ will make a swift return to the ring for his eighth fight in 13 months as a pro when he appears undercard of the rematch between KSI and Logan Paul at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Saturday November 9, live on DAZN.
All Results
Gennady Golovkin UD 12 Sergiy Derevyanchenko
Israil Madrimov TKO 5 Alejandro Barrera
Ivan Baranchyk TKO 4 Gabriel Bracero
Kamil Szeremeta TKO 2 Oscar Cortes
Marco Delgado TKO 2 Joseph Ward
(Ward suffers knee injury and unable to continue)
Brian Ceballo TKO 3 Ramal Amanov
Ali Akhmedov KO 1 Andrew Hernandez
