Derevyanchenko – Conley. Strange opponent and strange fight

Early Sunday morning, July 31, Ukrainian middleweight Sergey Derevyanchenko will meet in the ring in a rating match with 30-year-old American Joshua Conley. The fight will take place as part of a big boxing evening in New York, the main event of which will be the fight between Danny Garcia and Jose Benavidez. Announcing the fight, Sport Arena is surprised at the choice of the Ukrainian opponent.

The last time Sergey Derevyanchenko entered the ring was in December last year, losing on points to the not very skillful, but physically strong and strong Carlos Adames. For the Ukrainian, who had fought for the title in three out of four fights before this fight, Adames was a step backwards, but in general, a rather logical and justified choice: the 28-year-old Dominican was rightfully considered the top of the division, and a victory over him could bring Derevyanchenko back among the contenders. It is difficult to say what Sergey can count on by defeating the 30-year-old Conley, whom the authoritative independent portal BoxRec put in the second hundred of the division rating. How difficult it is to understand the logic of Sergey’s promoters, who chose such an opponent for him.

Judge for yourself: 30-year-old Conley has lost three of his 21 fights (one fight ended in a draw). The American lost two out of three fights by knockout, ahead of schedule losing to the above-mentioned Adames and Julian Williams. In Conley’s career, with the exception of Adames, there was not a single serious opponent. And he approaches the duel against Derevyanchenko on a series of three victories in a row, two of which were won over fighters who, at the time of the meeting with the American, had two (!) victories in the asset and 20 (!) defeats for two.

Yes, Derevyanchenko has completely lost four of his last five fights, three of which were in a row, but he definitely did not “deserve” a fight with such an opponent. And compare the opponents of the boxers in the lost fights: Sergey, except for Adames, except for Adames, was inferior to Jacobs, Charlo, Golovinka, Conley, except for Adames and Williams, lost to Doug Arne – does this name tell you something?

Perhaps such a scenario could be accepted, if you agree to Derevyanchenko for the role of a journeyman, becoming a springboard for young fighters. But there are a few “buts”: First, Conley is definitely not the right fit for the role of a future star or a future divisional prospect. Secondly, Derevyanchenko did not pass enough to become a springboard for future stars.

What happens in the rest: the Ukrainian got a fighter, a victory over which will allow him to remain in the top 10 ratings, but is unlikely to help in promotion. If Derevyanchenko loses, he will have to forget about dreams for money or significant fights.