In an autumn loaded with high-profile fights, there is one more can’t-miss-event on the boxing calendar. The middleweight contender bout for the vacant IBF belt between Daniel Jacobs and Serhiy Derevyanchenko is scheduled for October 27th at 10 pm ET on HBO.
Pay no attention to the articles online telling you that this fight is happening on November 10th; they are wrong. HBO’s official broadcast schedule shows that the fight will, in fact, take place on the 27th of October.
Odds on the fight are not out, so we don’t yet know who will be the fave or the dog. Even though Serhiy Derevyanchenko is 12-0, I have to think that Daniel Jacob will eventually be listed as the favorite in this matchup. If you are interested in how boxing betting works, check out this quick how to bet on sports guide.
Tale of the Tape
Daniel Jacobs, 31 years of age is coming in at 6’0 and 159 pounds, with a reach of 73 inches. Serhiy Derevyanchenko, 32 years old, is coming in at 5’9 159 lbs, with a reach of 67 inches.
Serhiy Derevyanchenko is undefeated at 12-0, but Daniel Jacobs is the much more experienced of the two with a record of 34-2 with 29 wins by way of knockout. Jacobs hasn’t been able to knock an opponent out for a little over two years now but that power is still there, lying in wait.
The Ukranian also has power, putting down 10 fighters through his 12 victories. And unlike Jacobs who has had problems finishing opponents of late, Serhiy Derevyanchenko last six fights have been stopped, four of which were early rounds.
Thoughts & Keys To Victory
One thing that will make this fight very interesting is that fact that the two fighters share trainers. Jacobs former co-trainer will be heading up the camp for Serhiy, and Andre Rozier is Jacobs’ head trainer. So these two fight camps are very familiar with each fight and will be able to prepare their boxers for the other incredibly well.
There are a few problem that we find with Serhiy Derevyanchenko winning in this matchup. One is the fact that he has never been in a boxing bout that is this highly anticipated. Another factor is Serhiy is used to overwhelming his opponents physically. That simply won’t happen with Jacobs who is much bigger (three-inch height advantage and six inches of reach).
Daniel Jacobs has a much better resume. His only loss in eight years comes against the one and only Gennady Golovkin. Derevyanchenko has never faced someone of this caliber before, but Jacobs has on multiple occasions. And there is the distance factor as well. Jacobs last 11 fights have gone 10 rounds or more, whereas Derevyanchenko only has two fights in his entire career that have gone longer than six rounds. Although, you could argue that this shows declining power on the part of Jacobs.
Derevyanchenko loves to work the body, and he’ll have to do just that to beat Jacobs. Serhiy can land enough heavy shots to the midsection of the much taller Jacobs; he will eventually bring the Miracle Man’s hands down and create opportunities for a knock out in the later rounds. But Serhiy will have to be very careful; Daniel Jacobs is perhaps the best counter-puncher in this weight class. If he throws wild or leaves his chin hanging even for a second, he runs the risk of getting rocked with a counter right.
Final Thoughts
Jacobs went to war with Golovkin, and his recent 12-round battle with Maciej Sulecki has shown that he doesn’t have a glass jaw. Ultimately, Derevyanchenko is going to have to knock Daniel Jacobs out, and that has proven to be easier said than done.
The stars seem to be aligning for the 12-0 ‘Technician’ to take his first professional loss: both fighters reside in New York, but it is Jacobs’ block, and the fan-base will likely be onesided, Jacobs has more professional experience and has taken tougher fights, Serhiy is much smaller so he won’t be able to walk Daniel Jacobs down like he does others, and he isn’t used to going the distance and could run out of gas.
This will be a great boxing match with tons of action, but it’s Daniel Jacobs fight.
Leave a Reply