Always a bridesmaid but never quite the bride, Sergiy Derevyanchenko has had the sort of career that leaves him little to no room for error.
For the Ukrainian native, winning a world title has always been at the very top of his agenda. But after suffering close defeats at the hands of Daniel Jacobs, Jermall Charlo, and Carlos Adames at 160 pounds, the now 37-year-old believed his fortunes would change if he moved up in weight. So, with the opportunity to jumpstart his career, Derevyanchenko (14-5, 10 KOs) took on Jaime Munguia in his super middleweight debut this past weekend at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.
Although there was a quiet confidence about him, there were few who were picking the aging contender to pull off the win. Dubious voices aside, Derevyanchenko fought the fight of his life. Once the final bell rang, Derevyanchenko embraced his longtime trainer, Andre Rozier, and smiled widely. But while the Ukrainian and his team were preparing the champagne bottles, Judge’s Lou Moret, Fernando Villarreal, and Rudy Barragan threw a major damper on their celebration.
With all three scoring it closely in favor of Munguia, Rozier shook his head incredulously soon after.
“I believe Sergiy should have won the fight,” said Rozier to BoxingScene.com. “He had enough rounds in the bank to get him over the hump.”
Apoplectic yet grateful, Derevyanchenko thanked team Munguia before gently muttering that he would love nothing more than an instantaneous rematch. On the complete opposite side of the spectrum, Rozier has made the same claims as his fighter but in a more deafening tone.
According to the world-renowned trainer, team Munguia shouldn’t accept their controversial victory and move forward. Instead, Rozier believes that a sequel between them should be explored for the second half of the year. If Munguia’s handlers acquiesce to Rozier’s request and grant them an immediate rematch, he’s confident that Derevyanchenko would not only pull off the win but do so in dramatic fashion.
“I’m not looking for Sergiy to stop him. Although I know that Sergiy can render him unconscious and get a KO but we’re not looking for that. We’re looking for him to control the action. We would certainly win the rematch.”