Well, that didn’t take long. Just three days after Christian Mbilli’s 40-second wipeout of Mark Heffron, Top Rank has officially announced “Solide’s” previously revealed August 17th showdown with Sergiy Derevyanchenko.
ESPN and ESPN+ carry the broadcast in the States, Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland.
As I mentioned in the post above, Mbilli (27-0, 23 KO) is stuck in a sort of Zeno’s Paradox, inches from a title shot but doomed never to reach it with Canelo’s attention elsewhere. Even if Canelo ditches the IBF belt rather than deal with William Scull, he’s behind both Scull and Vladimir Shishkin in their rankings, meaning he’d be at least another fight away from having his mandatory number called.
Hence, Derevyanchenko (15-5, 10 KO), aging and undersized but with enough of a name to make the matchup at least somewhat credible. “The Technician” gave Jaime Munguia absolute hell last year and is a far tougher challenge on paper than anyone Mbilli’s faced since his war with Carlos Gongora.
Mbilli said, “It’s an honor to fight Sergiy Derevyanchenko. I’ve been hearing about him since I was 16, in the amateur ranks, where he defeated several Frenchmen. In the pros, he has only fought big names, so this will definitely be my biggest fight to date. I can’t wait for it. It’s going to be a war.”
“I made the decision to move up to 168 to win a world title. During my entire career, I have always fought the best in the world, and on August 17, it will be no different,” Derevyanchenko said. “I’m fighting a tough opponent in Christian Mbilli, who’s ranked No. 1 in the WBC. If I win this fight, I expect to fight for a world title next, which has always been my ultimate goal. I expect August 17 to be a war and a Fight of the Year-type candidate, and I will be the winner.”