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With terms agreed between Daniel Jacobs and Sergiy Derevyanchenko for a vacant IBF middleweight title fight, ESPN now reports that the likely date for the fight is October 27 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
That’s not official, of course, but it is the word for the time being. Jacobs (34-2, 29 KO) and Derevyanchenko (12-0, 10 KO) were scheduled for a Tuesday purse bid at the IBF offices, but the teams agreed after some rough negotiations, which their promoters had some fun with on Twitter:
After weeks of negotiating with my dear friend @loudibella - delighted to agree terms for @DanielJacobsTKO v Derevenchenko for the IBF World title on @HBOboxing - Date coming soon for NY pic.twitter.com/Agp1C6SsVg
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) July 10, 2018
So @EddieHearn and I closed a deal for one of the best fights that can be made in the middleweight division. Imagine that...Eddie and I co-promoting a big fight! He’s still a cheeky little bastard, but I look forward to a big card...and some good, nasty back and forth. #boxing https://t.co/2x2BMwlgVp
— Lou DiBella (@loudibella) July 10, 2018
Dan Rafael reports that HBO is paying somewhere around $2.5 million for the fight, more than they were obligated to pay for Jacobs’ next bout, which shows some real enthusiasm from the network for this matchup, and I think it’s earned. This could be a really good fight, and is as good of a fight as we’re likely to get in the 160-pound division right now, outside of the Canelo-GGG rematch on September 15.
Another wrinkle to this fight: the two share a manager, Keith Connolly, as well as a trainer in Andre Rozier. Rozier will reportedly work with Jacobs for this fight, while Derevyanchenko will be cornered by Gary Stark Sr, his usual co-trainer.