Sergiy Derevyanchenko weighing offers from Canelo Alvarez and Jermall Charlo

This is a fun time to be Sergiy Derevyanchenko, at least in terms of career options.

The two-time middleweight title challenger has yet to score that truly big breakthrough win, but he was highly competitive in losses to Daniel Jacobs in 2018 and Gennadiy Golovkin in 2019, and everyone knows the guy can fight.

He’s also not a huge name, which makes him relatively affordable in a time where the boxing business, like all businesses, is scrambling to find ways to put together decent fights on the cheap, at least compared to normal.

Credibility + affordability = opportunity for the Ukrainian contender, as Mike Coppinger of The Athletic is reporting that the 34-year-old fighter has offers submitted by camps from both Canelo Alvarez and Jermall Charlo.

Derevyanchenko (13-2, 10 KO) has a fair bit to consider here, and it’s not simply as easy as taking the bigger opponent, though maybe it should be.

Canelo (53-1-2, 36 KO) is obviously the bigger fight. That would take place on Sept. 12, but it would also be at 168 pounds, meaning Derevyanchenko would have to move up in weight. And while Alvarez does hold the WBA’s secondary “world” title at that weight — won from Rocky Fielding in Dec. 2018 — it wouldn’t be a true world title fight, if that matters to Derevyanchenko, which it might.

Charlo (30-0, 22 KO) may be the more intriguing option. Not only is the 30-year-old American almost certainly the more winnable fight — with no disrespect meant to Charlo, really — but it would be at 160, where Derevyanchenko still makes weight easily by all accounts, and it would be for the WBC title.

Coppinger says that Derevyanchenko is expected to make the decision this week, so we figure to get news on one big fight coming in the fall, at any rate. And if it’s Charlo, that will once again leave Canelo, Golden Boy, and DAZN somewhat scrambling to make a worthwhile fight that is scheduled to come in two months’ time. The options are limited, and Derevyanchenko is kind of a best-case scenario for that side, though Canelo has certainly pulled some surprises in the past, so who knows?