DiBella On Golovkin's Run: All Good Things Must End

NEW YORK – Lou DiBella considers Gennadiy Golovkin one of the greatest fighters in boxing history.

Sergiy Derevyanchenko’s promoter spoke Wednesday of how Golovkin is certain to become a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer as soon as he is eligible for it five years following his retirement from the sport. Once DiBella finished signing Golovkin’s praises, he predicted that the former middleweight champion will lose to Derevyanchenko on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

“All good things must end,” DiBella said during a press conference at The Garden. “And we’re not bringing Sergiy Derevyanchenko – he’s not showing up Saturday night just to compete. He’s showing up to win.”

Odds-makers have installed Kazakhstan’s Golovkin (39-1-1, 35 KOs) as a 4-1 favorite over Ukraine’s Derevyanchenko (13-1, 10 KOs), who has lost only a 12-round split decision to Daniel Jacobs. Brooklyn’s Jacobs (35-3, 29 KOs) defeated Derevyanchenko 11 months ago to win the then-vacant IBF middleweight championship that was stripped from Golovkin in June 2018 for failing to make an overdue mandatory defense versus Derevyanchenko.

Sixteen months later, Golovkin, 37, and Derevyanchenko, 33, will fight for that same IBF title in a 12-round main event DAZN will stream live from The Garden.

“As great a fighter as Triple-G is, he knows what I’m about to say,” DiBella continued. “When you’re a great fighter, not every fight in your career do you stand to have a real opportunity not to be successful. You’re often not in there with people that belong with you, because you’re that good. Maybe five, six times in a career. … But Triple-G has always done that. He’s fought the best fights available to him, and he’s always been that much better.

“He’s in the ring Saturday night with a guy that belongs. And on Saturday night, Sergiy Derevyanchenko is gonna upset the apple cart. He’s gonna shock the world. And it’s gonna be another night that people walk out of Madison Square Garden going, ‘Wow! What did I just see?”

Derevyanchenko became the IBF’s mandatory middleweight challenger again by beating Germany’s Jack Culcay (26-4, 13 KOs) by unanimous decision in a closely contested 12-rounder April 13 at The Armory in Minneapolis.

Derevyanchenko’s handlers then tried to secure a high-profile fight with Canelo Alvarez, who beat Jacobs for the IBF crown May 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The IBF stripped Alvarez of that title once they couldn’t come to an agreement for that mandated match.

Mexico’s Alvarez (52-1-2, 35 KOs) instead will move up two weight classes to challenge WBO light heavyweight champ Sergey Kovalev (34-3-1, 29 KOs) on November 2 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.