Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, CT, Sept. 26
TV: Showtime PPV
By Peter Lim
Jermall Charlo vs. Sergei Derevyanchenko
Derevyanchenko is once again struck by the first-round-knockdown curse that likely cost him dearly against Danny Jacobs and Gennady Golovkin. This time, it comes courtesy of Charlo's jolting jab that catches him flush as he tries to press the action in the opening round. It is a flash knockdown that he is able to shake off without much ado, but a legitimate knockdown nonetheless.
The tough and crafty Ukrainian comes back robustly, as he did against Jacobs and Golovkin, and forces Charlo to dig deep into his skill set and mettle for the remainder of the fight. He boxes Charlo on even terms on the outside and viciously works the body when the action gets up close and personal. Following the instructions of trainer Ronnie Shields, Charlo reestablishes his stiff jab he fires in doubles and triples which allows him to control the action in the championship rounds.
At the end of the fight, Charlo is declared the winner by three identical scores of 114-113. Had Derevyanchenko remained on his feet in the opening stanza, the fight would've been a unanimous draw.
Jermell Charlo vs. Jeison Rosario
After a round or two of feeling each other out, the disparity in experience and skill set between the two becomes painfully obvious. Charlo dominates the action behind an accurate jab he deploys to set up fluid textbook combinations with both fists. The writing is on the wall and a stoppage appears imminent.
But Charlo, still stung by the robbery he suffered against Tony Harrison, becomes overly eager to moot the judges' scorecards and begins loading up on his punches in the middle rounds. This allows Rosario to counter punch his way back into the fight.
It takes a few rounds for trainer Derrick James to calm Charlo down and reroute him back onto the path of brain rather than bravado and the strategy quickly begins to pay dividends. Charlo's superior ring education takes over and he lands a left hook-straight right combo that drops Rosario in the eighth round. Rosario beats the count on spaghetti legs but Charlo's follow-up assault leads to two subsequent knockdowns prompting the referee to intervene, making Charlo a triple belt-holder at 154.
