Sergiy Derevyanchenko will be looking to upset the favored rising star, Christian Mbilli, in the main event in their ten-round contest this Saturday, August 17th. Derevyanchenko (15-5, 10 KOs) has the chance to put himself in a position to get a massive payday against WBA, WBC, and WBO 168-lb champion Canelo Alvarez with a win over the unbeaten Mbilli (27-0, 23 KOs) at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada.
(Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)
Saturday’s Mbilli vs. Derevyanchenko event will be shown live on ESPN and ESPN+ at 10 pm. ET/7 pm PT.
Mbilli’s Defensive Vulnerabilities
Mbili, 29, comes into the fight with little experience and lackluster showings against Carlos Gongora and Rohan Murdock. He’s got an exciting style and fun to watch. Defense is not part of the 2016 Olympian Mbilli’s style, and his fights are always drama-filled because he gets hurt occasionally.
Although Derevyancheno has only a slight advantage in terms of professional experience over Mbilli, he’s fought much better opposition. Mbilli’s management has protected him, and given how flawed he is, it’s understandable why. He would have been beaten already if he’d fought the same killers as Derevyanchenko has.
“Mbilli is very fun to watch. He’s an action fighter. He’s a guy with a relatively solid skillset, but he’s more of a pressure guy, break you mentally, break you physically kind of fighter. He’s a physical guy, and those kinds of guys tend to be fun to watch,” said Paulie Malignaggi to the Probox TV YouTube channel, discussing Christian Mbilli vs. Sergiy Derevyanchenko for their fight this Saturday, August 17trh, on ESPN.
Mbilli is a classic pressure fighter who comes forward with the Aaron Pryor style of fighting, throws a lot of punches, and looks to outgun his opponents. It’s a style that will eventually cost Mbilli, but it remains to be seen if he can get away with it this Saturday night against Derevyanchenko. If the Ukrainian has anything left, he’ll likely knock out Mbilli.
Question Marks Surround Mbilli’s True Potential
“As far as the [past] big names are concerned. The [Carlos] Gongora was a pretty good win [for Mbilli in March 2023],” said Malignaggi. “I’m not sure how decisive it really was. I think he was on the canvas for that one as well. Gongora is a pretty crafty guy. The jury is still out on Mbilli.”
The jury isn’t out. It’s obvious what kind of fighter Mbilli is, and he will come undone either on Saturday night or when he gets a title shot against Canelo if he gets one. With Canelo, you can’t predict whether he’ll defend against his #1 contenders. He might not want to fight Mbilli if he looks too good against Derevyanchenko.
“One thing the jury is not out on is he’s a fun fighter to watch,” said Malignaggi. “I think he’s going to keep entertaining.
“Derevyanchenko, you’ve got to see how much is left in him. So far, he’s shown consistently that there is a lot left in him, and he’s fought some ultra-competitive and ultra-tough fights. He’s given guys all they could handle and all their money’s worth, even a lot of top fighters.”
Derevyanchenko has been in some wars against Gennadiy Golovkin, Tureano Johnson, Jermall Charlo, Daniel Jacobs, Carlos Adames and Jaime Munguia. He deserved wins against Jacobs and Golovkin.
“One thing about Derevyanchenko. He’s not gotten the results at the top level,” said Malignaggi. “For me, that’s only because boxing is a bit of a mafia in that way. Back in the day, you have to be with [special people] to be given the close decisions.
“Otherwise, you wouldn’t get them. Today, just because you don’t have the organized crime involved doesn’t mean it doesn’t act the same way. If you’re not with certain people, you’re not going to get the close decisions,” said Malignaggi.
The fighters that tend to win close decisions in competitive fights are the popular guys, and it’s like that. Unless Derevyanchenko makes it one-sided or knocks Mbilli out, he might find himself on the receiving end of another controversial decision on Saturday night.
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