Gennadiy Golovkin, left, barely survived a sturdy test from Sergiy Derevyanchenko to win a vacant middleweight belt. Notable weekend fights:In the leadup to Gennadiy Golovkin’s (40-1-1, 35 KOs) close decision win vs. Sergiy Derevyanchenko (13-2) on Saturday, I predicted that, for the first half of the fight, Derevyanchenko might fight well enough to make it look as though his 37-year-old opponent had lost his magic. But in the end, Golovkin scored a tight unanimous decision to beat Derevyanchenko and claim a vacant middleweight title. In the first round, Golovkin knocked down Derevyanchenko, thanks in part to a wicked uppercut, and in the second round, Golovkin gave him a bad cut over his right eye after what was called an accidental headbutt (though replays were clear that the gash was actually caused by a Golovkin punch). But Derevyanchenko looked great after that, out-boxing Golovkin (I gave Derevyanchenko four of the first five rounds) and making Golovkin noticeably grimace after a left hook to the stomach midway through the fight.

Source: Forbes October 06, 2019 15:56 UTC