A pair of top ten middleweights will collide one division north.
Jaime Munguia and Sergiy Derevyanchenko each tipped the scales at 167.4 pounds for their scheduled 12-round super middleweight contest. Both boxers appeared well-conditioned and finely tuned outside of their current weight division as they meet in the DAZN main event this Saturday from Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.
Tijuana’s Munguia (41-0, 33KOs) was 165 pounds in a fifth-round knockout of overmatched Jimmy ‘Kilrain Kelly exactly 52 weeks ago in his previous career heaviest weight. He then came in just below the middleweight limit for a third-round knockout of Gonzalo Gaston Coria last November 19 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Hall of Fame promoter Oscar De La Hoya previously questioned why this matchup wouldn’t be for the WBC middleweight title, held ransom by Jermall Charlo who hasn’t fought in two years. That conversation was a non-starter, never mind that it was already agreed by both camps for this bout to take place at super middleweight.
Derevyanchenko (14-4, 10KOs) is at his heaviest weight in more than seven years, when he was 168 pounds in a March 2016 knockout win over Mike Guy.
He has since weighed at or below the middleweight limit in eight of his last ten starts, including three title challenges which all ended in defeat. The 37-year-old Crimea, Ukraine native—who lives and trains in Brooklyn, New York—
returned to the win column with a ten-round decision over Joshua Conley last July 30 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Saturday’s winner will claim the WBC Silver super middleweight title, though it is a long line to challenge for the division’s top prize held by undisputed champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (59-2-2, 39KOs).
DAZN main undercard, 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT
Shane Mosley Jr. (19-4, 10KOs), Las Vegas via Pomona, California, 159.8 pounds vs. D'Mitrius Ballard (21-1-1, 13KOs), Temple Hills, Maryland, 160 pounds—10 rounds, middleweight
Mariana Juarez (55-12-4, 19KOs), Mexico City, 120.2 pounds vs. Mayeli Flores (9-1-1, 3KOs), Mexico City, 120.8 pounds—10 rounds, junior featherweight
Ricardo Rafael Sandoval (21-2, 16KOs), Rialto, California, 111.4 pounds vs. Rocco Santomauro (22-1, 6KOs), Apple Valley, California, 111.8 pounds—10 rounds, flyweight
Non-televised undercard, 4:00 p.m. local time
Jorge Chavez (6-0, 5KOs), San Diego, California, 123.4 pounds vs. Christian Lorenzo (3-4, 1KO), Los Angeles, 123.8 pounds—6 round, featherweight
Anthony Saldivar (3-0, 1KO), Ontario, California, 155 pounds vs. Jerome Clayton (2-1-1, 2KOs), Metarie, Louisiana, 152.8 pounds—4 rounds, junior middleweight
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox