Derevyanchenko and MSG – the history of some of the Ukrainian's greatest performances
Sergiy Derevyanchenko is debuting at Zuffa Boxing events. And he is doing it in the place where his most brilliant pages were written. It was precisely in the halls of Madison Square Garden that he twice gave a fight to opponents of the highest level. That is where he suffered a split decision loss to Jacobs in 2018 for the vacant IBF title and a unanimous decision loss to Golovkin in 2019. Bouts that featured knockdowns, grit, and very close defeats. So close, in fact, that their results are still debated today.
Now, at 40, Sergiy is debuting in the new realities of the boxing market. In the first boxing promotion.
The Ukrainian boxer is extremely stable in terms of performance quality. And just as stable in terms of losses to top opponents. But not all of them are clear-cut. In the confrontation against Golovkin, Sergiy was extremely close to victory. He gave Jacobs and Adames just as intense a fight. Against Munguia, to whom the victory was awarded, he arguably should have won – that bout was nominated for "Fight of the Year 2023." And he fought Mbilli effectively with one hand – and at the beginning looked no worse than Christian. And he showed himself excellently until the end.
New weight, new company
A detail worth noting: Derevyanchenko is returning to middleweight after four bouts in super middleweight. In fact, this is his natural division, where he spent his entire career at the top.
At 40, he understands that a limited number of bouts remain. That he will not be fighting for traditional belts. And if he does fight for them, he is unlikely to win, as has happened repeatedly. Therefore, earning money before retirement and getting an interesting challenge – why not?
Hackett: a great amateur record, but no achievements in the pros
It is clear that the significantly younger American, Hackett, is being steered into this meeting for a reason. They want to give him an opponent with a name – while not being too dangerous.
Hackett is 23 years old. He has about 150 amateur victories and 10 US national championships under his belt, a serious foundation. At one time, his promoter was Floyd Mayweather. But at the pro level, everything turned out to be more complicated. In December 2024, he unexpectedly lost by split decision to Jose Roman – and that was at welterweight, where he constantly had weight problems. After that, he moved up to middleweight and won three in a row, including his debut in Zuffa Boxing in February.
In his previous three bouts, Jalil won twice by stoppage. The level of opposition is not bad, but not ideal. An important point – in his entire career, Hackett has only fought two 10-round bouts: in one he won by majority decision, in the other he lost by split decision. Against the backdrop of experience in matchups against the best – it is definitely not impressive.
It is too early to talk about prospects. First, the American needs to get past an opponent like Derevyanchenko. And that is always a challenge. Even when Sergiy is injured.
It will be interesting to see if 40-year-old Derevyanchenko can return in optimal form. Without injuries, with the ability to fight all rounds. If so, the American could really be in for a surprise. If Sergiy stumbles even slightly, it is unlikely that Jalil will not be awarded the victory.