Sergiy Derevyanchenko is now in line for a shot at the IBF middleweight title.
Sergiy Derevyanchenko stopped Tureano Johnson in the 12th and final round tonight in Miami, Oklahoma, dominating the fight for the most part, and securing a shot at the IBF middleweight title.
Derevyanchenko (11-0, 9 KO) owned the ring in this one, and it’s not as if Johnson (20-2, 14 KO) just gave him the fight, either. Johnson had a solid plan of attack and looked every bit like a perfectly reasonable contender in there, but Derevyanchenko was simply better in pretty much every respect, living up to his “Technician” nickname while also doing steady damage throughout the bout.
Derevyanchenko hurt Johnson repeatedly in the fight, but it wasn’t until the final frame that he finally dropped his determined opponent, putting him down early in the round, at a point where Johnson looked mentally defeated and physically exhausted from the punishment he had taken.
Referee Gary Ritter wisely called an end to the contest at that point, clearly seeing no reason for Johnson, who was surely down big on the scorecards, to keep getting beaten up.
The IBF middleweight title is currently held by Gennady Golovkin, who of course faces Canelo Alvarez on September 16. Derevyanchenko is in line to face the winner, but that could be a long line, too, and it’s likely we’ll see him fight again before getting to cash in on his shot.
Hugo Centeno Jr scored a big win over Immanuwel Aleem in the co-feature, getting some mojo back after his loss to Maciej Sulecki last year. Aleem (17-1-1, 10 KO) was coming off of a big upset win over Ievgen Khytrov earlier this year, but Centeno was once a heralded prospect, himself, and he proved too much for Aleem tonight.
Centeno (26-1, 14 KO) scored the win with a vicious left hook in the third round, scoring a candidate for KO of the Year, no question about it. Here’s the clip. Aleem never sees the punch:
"Aleem has been knocked senseless!" -@sbrflores #PBConFS1 pic.twitter.com/0DxxtwCSsL
— PBC (@premierboxing) August 26, 2017
Aleem started well in the opening round, but Centeno made some strides in the second before finishing things off in the third in true highlight reel fashion. Again, it’s a big win for Centeno, who is now officially back in the mix at 160, and a crushing setback for Aleem, who had just seemingly arrived himself.
Southpaw prospect Austin Dulay remained unbeaten, going to 11-0 (8 KO) with a stoppage of Colombia’s Carlos Padilla (16-6-1, 10 KO). Padilla has a typical empty Colombian record, but it was a solid showing for Dulay, a 21-year-old from Nashville, and he’s someone we’ll surely see back on TV. He’s fought at lightweight, but appears to be working toward making a mark at super featherweight first, when things get serious for him.
