The (Last) Big Drama Show : Golovkin vs. Derevyanchenko

Photo by Erick W. Rasco /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images

Last Saturday night was a big evening for fans of combat sports. We had a Triple G fight along with one of the most anticipated MMA fights of the year between Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya.

As always, everyone came to their own conclusions about the fighters involved in those two contests. While opinions are pretty mixed about the two great UFC fighters, it seemed clear that everyone agreed on one thing…Gennady Golovkin finally looked like a 37-year-old boxer with a lot of mileage on him.

Fresh off of my Golovkin breakdown article that you can find here, I was nervous to see which version of Triple G would show up.

VINTAGE GENNADY

The first thing that I remember about this fight is Gennady walking out and looking very sweaty. I wondered if the Kazakh was sick, or if he had an especially heavy warm-up. I quickly forgot all of that, because as soon as the fight started, it felt like 2013. After a short feeling out process, Golovkin landed his iconic jab-left hook on Derevyanchenko, followed by a double jab that backed him up against the ropes.

The pressure by Golovkin was cautious, but it was there. Gennady also feinted a right hook and got an immediate reaction from his opponent, who entered that fight well aware of the danger of that punch.

Sergiy would hold onto Gennady to escape that position but sixteen seconds later, Derevaynchenko’s butt touched the floor. That was a very familiar type of knockdown that every Golovkin fan became used to during his hot twenty-three-fight knockout win streak. The Kazakh landed a beautiful right uppercut-double left hook combo then threw a jab and a right hook, that missed, but he came back with a big jab that split the guard and set up a big right hook that landed behind the ear of the Ukrainian.

The underdog would get up, shaking his head out of frustration. He didn’t feel hurt or rocked, mostly caught off balance by Golovkin’s rhythm variation. The last minute of the round was actually evenly disputed. Sergiy finished the round with two beautiful body shots that landed perfectly under the Kazakh’s high guard. Despite this, it did seems like Gennady was on his way to another TKO victory in the next 4 or 5 rounds. That feeling only increased after a great round 2 where a big cut appeared over Sergiy’s right eye. The broadcast team wasn’t sure if it was from a headbutt or a left hook (all fight long the broadcasters and commission changed their mind) but what’s for sure is that Gennady landed several clean left hooks in that second round.

DEREVYANCHENKO : Maximum Effort

It could have been a short night at the Garden, but Sergiy is not the type of person that will give up or fall under the pressure. He came back from those two first rounds, with a big cut over his eye, but with a lot of determination to show who he is as well. He was going to bring the fight to Golovkin.

Sergiy then took a risk, maybe the cut played a role in this, I am not sure, but what I know is that Sergiy decided to put a much higher pace than in the two first rounds and looked to beat up Gennady’s body on the inside. Derevyanchenko had much faster hands than the former champion and used it to always keep a hand on Gennady’s face. He would throw five jabs in a row then slip Golovkin’s answers and take an angle on him, then bang with a body-head combo. Sergiy was never afraid of going to the body, and after winning rounds 3 and 4, he ended up hurting Gennady to the body at the end of round 5.

What a beauty. This, hurt Gennady bad. The Kazakh who took deep breathes in round 5 definitely felt that one left hook to the body. This sequence highlights the good work of Sergiy Derevyanchenko in this Round. Here, he starts with a left hook upstairs followed by a right hand, this opened a little bit the defense of Gennady but it’s just enough to land the bomb of the combo, that diffing left hook. let’s notice the little side step he took after the first punch in order to put his left foot in the same angle as his shoulders will be once he threw that left hook to the body. that’s how you set up a body shot. Fair play to Gennady he blocked the next body shots with his elbows. It was more than necessary at this point. Then the bell rings, Round 5 is over and the garden explodes knowing they are getting the big drama show.

ROUNDS 6 to 12 : THE BIG DRAMA SHOW

If Gennady felt vulnerable in the fifth round, he came back to win the next 3 rounds. There is a lot to say about Gennady’s logical decline, one that highlights his flaws more and more, but one thing that will never decline is Golovkin’s heart. He came back in the Canelo rematch after being hurt and he did the same thing Saturday.

Those rounds were very disputed, Sergiy having success mixing it to the body and the head while managing to take angles on the Kazakh, who was having success throwing the jab and finding a home for the uppercut and the right hook. Those heavy punches allowed Golovkin to back up the Ukrainian.

In his corner, Jonathan Banks (Triple G’s coach) gave him some good advice, asking him to stop head hunting and go to the body as well, and especially to stop looking for that knockout shot because Sergiy would counter it with two or three punches. So, Golovkin put up a higher pace and threw his jab followed by a good variety of combinations. In Derevyanchenko’s corner, Andre Rozier knew what he was up against, as it was the third time that one of his fighters was sharing the ring with Golovkin. Rozier did a great job in 2017 when Danny Jacobs came very close to beating Gennady.

The back and forth swings of this fight, the pace, the punishment both men took, was very humbling. The tenth round was absolutely brutal. Never in his career had Gennady taken that much damage, his chin just doesn’t make sense. Gennady lost round 9, and definitely lost round 10 where he took so many big shots from the Ukrainian. This fight could probably be Derevyanchenko’s last chance at fighting on such a big stage and he gave his maximum effort. There were a lot of questions about his quality, and he cleared them all up in my opinion. Nobody ever put a beating on Gennady like that. Gennady’s twin brother in the corner was very nervous and concerned, a man who always seemed so cold blooded.

Gennady Golovkin would rally back in the championship rounds, by a thin margin, but he got the job done. Of course, the boxing world got mad over the scorecards (114-113 / 115-112 x2 Golovkin). I just wish people will remember it as one night when both warriors gave it it their all and overcame so much adversity. The respect between Sergiy and Gennady was beautiful to watch, unlike the disgusting boos from the crowd during Gennady’s post-fight interview. Booing Gennady Golovkin in the Garden after a 12 rounds war is pathetic. It is very difficult to give tribute to this fight only with words. It’s really a must-see fight.

At 37 years old, after 42 pro fights and more than 300 amateur fights, Gennady Golovkin has never been knocked down. Golovkin looked old and diminished, being much slower and vulnerable at times. Every combat sports fan is haunted by the sad and immortal memory of his favorite fighter taking one or two bad beatings at the end of their career. This is why the eternal question of when should a fighter stop fighting comes so often. On the other side, every combat sports fan is also inspired by the beautiful and immortal memory of his favorite aging fighter turning back the clock and achieving one last shining moment.

In my opinion, nobody knows but Gennady and his entourage. Maybe was he just very ill, maybe Derevyanchenko fought the best fight of his career. Golovkin is obviously still able to compete at a high level, maybe for a few more fights, but every true Gennady Golovkin fan should get ready to say goodbye to one of the most exciting boxer of the decade.