In a tense, exciting encounter inside the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Daniel Jacobs (35-2, 29 KOs) won the vacant IBF middleweight crown with a split decision win over Sergiy Derevyanchenko (12-1, 10 KOs). Even with an early knockdown, it was a tactical affair over the first couple of rounds, but action picked up from round 4 onward and produced plenty of entertainment for the fans.
Jacobs struck first with a hard right hand that made the Ukrainian’s gloves touch the canvas just before the opening round ended. Derevyanchenko responded in the second round with a nifty left hook, jab, and right hand combination that had Jacobs a little shaken. Action was back-and-forth in round 4, with Derevyanchenko as the aggressor but Jacobs landing the harder punches. Round 5 featured some heavy body shot punishment courtesy of Derevyanchenko, but Jacobs came on strong late. As the fight progressed through the midway point, Jacobs’ speed advantage was noticeable and he was digging into Derevyanchenko’s body frequently. Throughout the fight, he curiously chose to switch stances against his former teammate, with mixed success.
Jacobs appeared to be pulling away in the second-half of the contest, but Derevyanchenko unleashed some quality shots in mid-range and close quarters in the 10th round. Jacobs did well to answer back late in the same round, but it appeared that Derevyanchenko was gaining stream. Derevyanchenko poured on more pressure in the 11th round and looked to land big punches with Jacobs against the ropes, although he ate some countershots in the process and was clipped during hard exchanges. Both men emptied the gas tank and just uncorked haymakers and violent looking blows in the 12th frame, and Derevyanchenko’s output was much higher, as Jacobs appeared to be fading and trying to bob and weave against the ropes. Jacobs cracked Derevyanchenko several times in the closing seconds, but these two showed exemplary chins given the punches that were being traded.
Official result: Daniel Jacobs def. Sergiy Derevyanchenko by split decision (113-114, 115-112, 115-112)
The big thing to note here is that Jacobs’ HBO contract is up (and HBO is leaving the boxing business at the end of 2018 anyway), and his affiliation with Matchroom Boxing means that he’s likely going to be on DAZN starting in 2019. He has since called for a unification bout with Canelo Alvarez, who holds the WBA and WBC belts and is now exclusive to DAZN.