Sergiy Derevyanchenko vs. Sam Soliman headlines July 21st PBC on ESPN

Top middleweight prospects Sergiy Derevyanchenko and Ievgen Khytrov will helm Premier Boxing Champions’ next trip to ESPN, taking on Sam Soliman and Paul Mendez, respectively, at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

Derevyanchenko (8-0, 6 KO) vs. Soliman (44-13, 18 KO) is a prototypical prospect vs. veteran matchup that still holds some intrigue. Derevyanchenko’s star has dimmed somewhat after a lethargic performance against Mike Guy and while Soliman has lost two straight, he suffered a freak injury against Jermain Taylor and arguably deserved the win against future Golovkin victim Dominic Wade. Soliman’s awkward style also poses an intriguing foil to "The Technician’s" textbook combinations.

Khytrov (13-0, 11 KO) vs. Mendez (19-2-2, 9 KO) is more of a pure prospect eliminator. Scott had Khytrov listed #2 among middleweight prospects behind Derevyanchenko in his 2015 Year in Review and included Mendez in the honorable mentions. Both are twenty-seven and, though Mendez has two losses on his record, neither came in the last five years.

PBC may be floundering, but this is the kind of card they should be making. Not bad at all.