Like Shawn Porter last weekend against Errol Spence Jr., not many people are giving Sergiy Derevyanchenko much of chance to beat Gennadiy Golovkin on Saturday at Madison Square Garden for the vacant IBF middleweight championship.
Porter fell just short in dethroning Spence, losing by split decision in one of the best fights of 2019.
If Derevyanchenko (13-1, 10 KOs) is going to have any shot of upsetting the former unified world middleweight champion Golovkin (39-1-1, 34 KOs), the Ukranian boxer will have to do three things:
Don't get caught up in the moment
Derevyanchenko has faced an excellent fighter in former Golovkin opponent and two-time middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs. But facing one of the biggest names in the sport and at the home of the "The World's Most Famous Arena" brings a different type of pressure he's never had to encounter before. This is where head trainer Andre Rozier makes his money. He needs to continuously tell his pupil that it's just a fight, keep him composed and remind him that he deserves to be in there with one of the best in the world.
MORE: GGG vs. Derevyanchenko fight info, how to watch
Start quickly
Far too often, fighters give Golovkin too much respect and let him dictate the pace from the opening bell. Canelo Alvarez came out in their September 2018 rematch and set the tone, which forced Golovkin to fight from behind. But it turned out to be too little, too late, and that saw Golovkin suffer the first defeat of his career. The blueprint is there for Derevyanchenko to copy. Let's see if he executes it and sees what happens if he's able to get off to a fast start.
Keep applying pressure
One of the things Derevyanchenko did very well in his fight in October 2018 against Jacobs was staying on the inside and keeping busy by throwing hard. If he comes in, battles on the inside, and doesn't alter the plan of attack, it will make for a long night at the office for "GGG." Remember, Golovkin is 37 and is more toward the end of his career than in his prime. This is his 42nd professional fight, and his extensive amateur career includes about 350 matches. The body can only take a pounding for so long. Pounce, pounce and pounce some more should be the theme of how to attack Golovkin and win the first major world title of his career.