Denis will fight outside of Ukraine for the second time in his professional career
According to preliminary information, on October 22, International WBO lightweight champion Denis Berinchyk should fight his 17th and first fight since December last year. The opponent of the Ukrainian will be the European champion in the division Frenchman Ivan Mendy. The fight should take place in the north of France, in the city of Pont-Saint-Maxence. Sport Arena talks about the potential rival of the Ukrainian.
Long-awaited departure for Berinchik
For the last and so far the only time in his professional career, International WBO lightweight champion Denis Berinchyk fought outside of Ukraine five years ago – in his sixth fight, the Ukrainian easily dealt with Venezuelan Loresso Parra in Hungary. Denis spent the next 10 fights not just in Ukraine, but in Kyiv and the region. Who knows who would have been Berinchyk’s next opponent and where he would have fought next if not for Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine.
Now we must pay tribute to the promoters of Berinchyk: in a difficult situation, Denis got a potential away fight against a strong and experienced boxer, as well as the opportunity to win a title, albeit a minor one, but still quite significant.
french lion
37-year-old Ivan Mendy is an experienced fighter with 53 fights in the professional ring against Berinchyk’s 17. The Frenchman won 47 fights (22 by knockout), one ended in a draw, five he lost. At the same time, it should be noted that Mendy was not knocked out in any of the lost fights, losing on points.
Yes, and the Frenchman, who made his debut in the professional ring back in 2006, has recently lost to strong and experienced boxers – Briton Luke Campbell, Kosovar, Edis Tutley, who fought in 2019 with Teofimo Lopez, and Ukrainian Viktor Postol. By the way, for the sake of the duel with the latter, Mendy came to Ukraine.
True, if we talk about victorious fights, then Mendy had no well-known opponents in his rivals – rather, strong rivals who did not pretend to be something serious. At the same time, the Frenchman, who has the nickname “Lion”, approaches the duel with the Ukrainian on a series of seven victories in a row, the last of which he won in April of this year, defeating Gianluca Ceglia on points and winning the European title.
Why the fight with Berinchyk is important for Mendy
Despite the recently won European title, Mendy is significantly lower in the ratings than Berinchyk (for example, in Boxrec, the Ukrainian takes 21st place in his division, the Frenchman is 46th), which means that a victory over Denis will increase Ivan’s quotes and, possibly, will give a chance to try to fight for the title before the end of his career. Losing will finally put an end to the boxer’s dreams of a big fight.
“I’m a little disappointed that I haven’t had the opportunity to win a world title yet. It’s all about the perception of boxing in France. In England, boxing is part of the culture, but here it is not. I often said to myself that if I were English, I would have already become a world champion! Or at least I would have had a chance to fight for it,” Mendy said.
However, as people who know Ivan note, he is an incredibly stubborn and strong-willed athlete, despite the kindness and humanity outside the ring, as well as his willingness to help. “He’s a man who doesn’t like to lose,” says Hakim Laribi, vice president of boxing club BCO Pont Sainte-Maxence, whose colors Mendy defends. “But at the same time, he’s a great guy. I always compare him to Ngolo Kante. Ivan is a little elf, cute, always smiling. But as soon as he enters the dressing room, he becomes a Lion. This metamorphosis makes him very dangerous.”
Why the fight with Mendy is important for Berinchyk
Let’s repeat the banality: in the current situation, every fight is important for every Ukrainian boxer. The upcoming fight is, if not a step forward in Berinchyk’s career, then an opportunity to win the title, once again remind of himself and raise / maintain his tone. A possible victory over Mendy will not give the Ukrainian a significant advance in the ratings (according to an unspoken agreement or rules, usually the European champion gets a place in the TOP-15 of the rating), however, he is already quite high there, but he will add some recognition.
Plus, we repeat, for Berinchyk this fight may be the first in 10 months, given the age of Denis – simple, albeit for reasons beyond his control, quite serious.
How high is the likelihood of a fight between Mendy and Berinchyk
In the current situation, making forecasts even for a couple of weeks is a thankless task. What can we say about October, given the full-scale war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine, Berinchyk’s participation in territorial defense and volunteering, as well as the dynamically changing situation at the front.
However, based on today’s realities, the battle looks quite real. Berinchyk has proven more than once that he knows how to approach a fight ready even after a “short notice” and a short gathering – and now he has four months at his disposal: an absolutely adequate time to prepare for any fight. The government of Ukraine allowed athletes to travel to competitions and training abroad. Plus, Berinchyk himself never turned down any challenge. And even more so in the current situation.
Source: Sportarena
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
