Injured Sergiy Derevyanchenko was Defeated By Christan Mbilli

One of the keen ESPN writer, Tim Bradley gave Sergiy Derevyanchenko as a “washed” fighter before the fight in Quebec City Videotron Centre proved Bradley wrong. The Ukrainian middleweight, aged 38 and notably fighting with one arm, was against Christian Mbilli on Saturday night. Although Bradley had downplayed his skills before the fight, the bout was going to be much tougher than expected.

That was very interesting and tense fight as Sergiy got an injury in his arm which did not allow him to perform against Mbilli. let’s dive into the story to learn about Mbilli’s performance.

Mbilli’s Lackluster Performance

Before the fight, Mbilli a southpaw from France, was unbeaten, 28-0, 23 KO, and on the other hand Sergiy Derevyanchenko was 15-6 with just 5 knockouts. But the final decision that followed did not arrive as expected. When 29-year-old Mbilli tried to battle it out with his, the latter was fighting with a fractured left arm which greatly hampered his chances of landing his left hook – his primary weapon.

Still, Sergiy Derevyanchenko put the pressure on his opponent Mbilli to the limit even with his injured arm. The last three scorecards indicating 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92 were in favour of Mbilli but did not depict the real picture of the fight. His output was characterized by his failure to perform at the level of a potential future world champion or even a tough contender. Unlike in previous fights, the dominating performance was missing from Mbilli’s victory, and as such, fans immediately began to doubt if the fighter was ready for the big fights.

Sergiy Derevyanchenko’s Injury changes the prospects of the fight

The twist in the fight was a result of an injury Sergiy Derevyanchenko received in the fourth round of the fight. Finding himself unable to use his left arm, he was limited only to the usage of the right hand in close combat and became far less dangerous. He did not employ his left hook which was one of the effective tools that helped him land good punches. In his post-fight comments, Sergiy Derevyanchenko expressed his frustration, stating,

My legs were good. I only had one arm. I needed to move. When I stayed, he punched in combinations.

Future Prospects and Fan Reactions

The end product of the fight has made many fans and analysts believe that a hale and hearty he stood a far better shot at Mbilli. Thus, the idea of the rematch does not look quite feasible in the light of the circumstances which makes many fans doubt Mbilli’s further career. From what has been said on social networks, people doubt Mbilli’s preparation for an attractive fight with a super middleweight unification champion Canelo Alvarez.

Taking it all together, one can say that Christian Mbilli won the fight but failed to close out a competitive opponent and translate a victory into the real dominance we expect from a future challenger. For Sergiy Derevyanchenko, the fight was a bitter reminder of the effect of fighting at the top level while nursing a serious injury which has left boxing fans to wonder what could have happened if the challenger was in good health when the fight was contested.