FORMER world title challenger Sergey Derevyanchenko bounced back from last year’s defeat to Danny Jacobs to take a good win over Jack Culcay at the Minneapolis Armory on Saturday (April 13).
The Ukrainian beat Culcay on a unanimous decision 115-113 and 116-112 twice.
“I knew that he was going to move a lot,” said Derevyanchenko. “We prepared for it because we knew what kind of fighter he was. My mentality was that I had to seek and destroy.”
“My strategy was to use my jab and control the distance, because I had the height advantage,” he added. “I wanted to put pressure on at the right times and fight smart.”
“I want the big fights,” Derevyanchenko declared. “I’m ready for any of the champions. I’m not backing down from anyone.”
Culcay objected. “I thought that I won the fight,” he said. “It was close but I thought I edged it by a couple of rounds. I had him hurt in the 10th round. He’s a good fighter but I was close to getting him out. The judges saw it differently than I did.”
Peter Quillin and Caleb Truax fought to a no decision. Truax suffered a cut in the second round from an accidental head butt. “First of all, I think the doctor’s job is to make sure the fighter is safe,” Quillin reflected. “That’s number one. People would rather see him fight without an eye, but I’d rather have the guy be able to fight another day.”
“It’s disappointing I couldn’t put on a good fight for the fans,” Truax said. “They came to see 12 rounds of action. It hurts but that’s boxing. I’m flattered that everybody came out for me. The fans are doing a great job representing how strong our boxing community is. This is one of the best times in decades for Minnesota boxing.
“My cutman tells me it’s pretty bad so I’m going to have to take a little time off and get some stitches. I’ll heal up and see what’s next.”
