Former unified middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin returns to the ring for the second time in four months on Saturday as he battles Sergiy Derevyanchenko for the vacant IBF middleweight title from Madison Square Garden, live on DAZN.
Golovkin (39-1-1, 35 KOs) made his 2019 debut and first fight on the global streaming service a successful one, scoring a fourth-round knockout over Steve Rolls. Attempts to book the trilogy fight between Golovkin and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez ultimately were unsuccessful. Alvarez was subsequently stripped of the IBF belt for failing to make a bout against Derevyanchenko. Once that happened, the IBF mandated a showdown between the IBF ranked top two contenders in Derevyanchenko and Golovkin.
Derevyanchenko (13-1, 10 KOs) enters the biggest fight of his career coming off of a unanimous decision victory over Jack Culcay in April. Before then, the native of the Ukraine suffered the first setback of his professional career, losing by split decision to previous training partner and Golovkin opponent, Daniel Jacobs.
Many boxing pundits and fans believe Derevyanchenko presents a tough challenge to Golovkin in his quest to get another crack at Alvarez.
We spoke with some boxing experts to discuss who comes out on top at "The World's Most Famous Arena".
MORE: How to watch, full card info for GGG vs. Derevyanchenko
Who wins? GGG or Derevyanchenko?
Dan Rafael, ESPN.com: GGG might not still be at his peak but he's still a very formidable fighter with crushing power. Derevyanchenko is a good contender and figures to hang in there for a while but this one ends like most GGG fights — in a knockout. GGG by mid-rounds KO.
Pick: Gennadiy Golovkin by KO.
Diego M. Morilla, The Ring en español: The initial 5-to-1 proposition is a little bit too much for me. I have been following Derevyanchenko since his razor-thin WSB loss against Brian Castaño, and if that loss taught us something is that you need to be ready to steamroll and outhustle the Ukranian in every department if you want to beat him. His lone "pro" loss against Jacobs confirmed that notion. A motivated Derevyanchenko, then, will be a super tough assignment for a Golovkin that, so far, has been used to seeing people give him too much respect. Derevyanchenko won't. I expect a war of attrition for both fighters, with Golovkin using his experience and his superb understanding of pacing and timing to punish Derevyanchenko at the right times during the fight to score a close decision.
Pick: Gennadiy Golovkin by decision.
Chris Mannix, DAZN and Sports Illustrated (via The Pat McAfee Show): Stylistically it’s a great fight. Sometimes Gennadiy fights guys that move away from him and don’t want to engage because of all his power, but Derevyanchenko is going to be there. His style is to take the fight to his opponent. People saw him fight about a year ago against Daniel Jacobs on HBO; he had a great performance there. He is going to push the fight, and make Gennadiy fight in the center of the ring, and that’s exactly where he wants to fight. If you’re looking for a fight with a lot of action in it, I think this one is it.
Pick: I think (Golovkin) is going to go out and win by mid-round knockout, to really send a message to get that Canelo fight to happen next year.
Thomas Gerbasi, BoxingScene.com, RingTV.com and BoxingNewsOnline.net: Normally, I’d say the fight between Gennadiy Golovkin and Sergiy Derevyanchenko is another showcase for GGG in Madison Square Garden, but Golovkin is human, and I can’t see him not being distracted by all the talk about a third fight with Canelo Alvarez. If he gets caught napping, Derevyanchenko has the talent and poise to make it close and possibly pull away at the end to take a close decision. But having said that, Derevyanchenko’s coach Andre Rozier told me that he is preparing his fighter for 12 rounds of tactical war, and that means the Ukrainian has to be perfect for 12 rounds. Golovkin only has to be perfect for a few seconds to either get Derevyanchenko out of there or take a big enough lead that he can coast to a decision win. That’s where I’m leaning.
Pick: Gennadiy Golovkin by unanimous decision.
Kelsey McCarson, TheSweetScience.com and NYFights.com: Even at 37, Golovkin is still one of the best fighters in the sport. Derevyanchenko is five years younger, but his resume lacks the kinds of opponents that might have prepared him for a bout like this, and I think Golovkin will overwhelm him during the second half of the fight. Golovkin's jab is like a battering ram, and he's one of the best finishers in the sport. Derevyanchenko is a fine technician, but he doesn't have enough power to keep a fighter like GGG off him for very long, and Golovkin is one of the hardest punchers in boxing.
Pick: Gennadiy Golovkin via ninth-round stoppage.