December 25, 2024

SERGIY DEREVYANCHENKO-TUREANO JOHNSON ELIMINATOR TO TOP FS1 ON AUG. 25

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Sergiy Derevyanchenko and Tureano Johnson will meet with a title shot on the line.

The fighters are set to fight in a middleweight title eliminator August 25 in Miami, Oklahoma, in the main event of a special Friday night edition of Premier Boxing Champions’ Toe-to-Toe Tuesdays on FS1. The co-feature is an intriguing one: Immanuwel Aleem against Hugo Centeno.

Derevyanchenko, THE RING’s No. 9 160-pounder, represented Ukraine at the 2008 Olympic Games but failed to medal. After a decorated amatuer career, he eventually settled in Brooklyn, New York, and competed in the World Series of Boxing.

As a professional, the 31-year-old has flashed big power and solid fundamentals in a number of “ShoBox” fights, most notable with a second-round stoppage of former titleholder Sam Soliman.

“This is a very important fight for me,” said Derevyanchenko (10-0, 8 knockouts). “A victory in this fight brings me closer to my dream of becoming a world champion. I’m training hard for this challenge and I know that Johnson will be prepared. I’m going to show that I’m ready for anybody in the middleweight division.”

Johnson, too, participated in the 2008 Olympics; he represented his native Bahamas. His lone loss came via stoppage in a 2014 slugfest with Curtis Stevens. The 33-year-old has fought just once since undergoing shoulder surgery in 2015.

“I fight to provide for my family, to bring pride to my country and because I know I have done the work necessary and am destined to become a world champion,” said Johnson (20-1, 14 KOs). “I have a great respect for my opponent and expect a great fight, but he is my way toward the championship, so I will defeat him.”

Aleem scored the biggest victor of his career in January with a sixth-round stoppage of Ievgen Khytrov. Now, he’ll seek a second consecutive victory over a talented middleweight when he meets Centeno.

“This is a great fight for me against a very good opponent,” said Aleem (17-0-1, 10 KOs). “I want to build off my last performance and show even more dimensions to my game. Training camp is going well and I’m planning to execute my game plan on fight night. I’m trying to be a world champion and prove that I’m a force in this division.”

Centeno lost for the first time in his pro career when he faced Polish contender Maciej Sulecki. Centeno was dropped in the final round and eventually stopped.

“I’m very excited to get back in the ring and I’ve been training hard since my last fight in December,” said Centeno (25-1, 13 KOs). “I feel like I’m in great shape and I’m definitely looking forward to this fight. I know a win of this quality will put me into another echelon in the division. It’s very motivating to be training at Wild Card Boxing with so many great champions as I prepare for this fight.”

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