Sergiy Derevyanchenko says he thinks Gennadiy Golovkin has a chance to defeat Canelo Alvarez in their trilogy match on September 17th due to the Mexican star’s recent loss at the hands of WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol on May 7th.
Derevyanchenko, who has fought Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) before in 2019, believes he will be stronger in moving up in weight from 160 to 168 to challenge Canelo for his undisputed super-middleweight titles in September.
Golovkin, 40, has been fighting at middleweight his entire 16-year professional career since 2006, and Derevyanchenko thinks he’ll have power in not needing to drain down in weight to 160 like he’s been doing.
Canelo’s recent one-sided 12-round decision loss to Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) showed a blueprint for defeating the Mexican star by beating him with combinations of three to seven punches and then pulling back to the outside.
Though the three judges worked the Canelo-Bivol fight 115-113, the contest appeared to be much more comprehensive, closer to 119 or 118-110. Canelo was outclassed by Bivol and outworked by the fighter, who looked like he was in first gear the entire bout.
“I was surprised. I thought Canelo would win,” said Derevyanchenko to Fighthype when asked if he was surprised that Dmitry Bivol defeated Canelo Alvarez on May 7th.
“I don’t know,” Derevyanchenko said when asked if Canelo should fight Bivol in a rematch at 175 or 168. “Now is a fight with GGG. “I don’t know what the category at 168 [for Bivol rematch], but I think he’s [Canelo] staying at 168.”
Derevyanchenko thinks it’s good for Canelo to stay put at 168 rather than move back up to 175 for a rematch with Bivol. However, Derevyanchenko didn’t say whether he was against the idea of Canelo fighting Bivol again if it were to take place at 168.
The problem for Canelo is that if he fights Bivol at 168, he would be in a no-win situation. If Canelo beats Bivol, boxing fans will note that he used his A-side pull to force him to come down to his weight so that he could gain an advantage.
What would be far worse for Canelo is if Bivol comes down to 168 and defeats him soundly again, significantly if the Mexican star adds a rehydration clause.
If Bivol still beats Canelo despite all his advantages, it would be a massive setback for the Mexican star because he would be exposed worse than he already was in his loss on May 7th.
“Now, I think with this situation, GGG has a very big opportunity because now that Canelo lost [to Bivol], now he feels he’s not a superstar,” said Derevyanchenko.
“I think at 168, Golovkin is better,” said Derevyanchenko when asked if GGG will be stronger in moving up from 160 to 168 for the trilogy match against Canelo in September 17th.
“When you lose weight, your power is a little bit down. I like this fight with GGG,” said Derevyanchenko about Golovkin being his most challenging fight as a professional.
“GGG, but this is professional boxing. Every guy has a strong punch,” Derevyanchenko said when asked who the biggest puncher he’s fought in the pro ranks.
