When Sparring Partners Became Enemies: The Night Daniel Jacobs Fought Sergiy Derevyanchenko

3 days ago

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Published: 27 October 2026, 12:03 pm AEDT (Sydney).

On 27 October 2018, former sparring partners Daniel Jacobs and Sergiy Derevyanchenko met at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Years of familiarity gave their contest an unusual edge: both had spent countless rounds learning the other's habits. Now the vacant IBF middleweight championship was at stake.

A title opportunity created by boxing politics

The championship became available after Gennady Golovkin was stripped of his IBF belt in June 2018 amid a dispute over his mandatory defence. Derevyanchenko entered unbeaten at 12–0, while the more experienced Jacobs was 34–2. Jacobs had previously tested Golovkin in a competitive 2017 defeat and now had a chance to become a world champion again.

Their shared training history complicated preparations. Andre Rozier remained with Jacobs, while Gary Stark Sr. guided Derevyanchenko. Knowledge gathered over years of sparring was now information each side needed to overcome.

A first-round knockdown and twelve close rounds

Jacobs made an early breakthrough when a right hand sent Derevyanchenko down in the opening round. The Ukrainian recovered and answered with pressure, body punching and sustained attacks. Jacobs used timing, movement and counterpunching to find cleaner openings, while Derevyanchenko pressed forward and fought to close the distance.

Neither could rely on surprise. Each had to make small tactical adjustments against an opponent familiar with his tendencies. The fight remained closely contested into the championship rounds.

After twelve rounds, judges Tom Schreck and Steve Weisfeld each scored the contest 115–112 for Jacobs. Julie Lederman had it 114–113 for Derevyanchenko. The split decision made Jacobs the IBF middleweight champion and gave Derevyanchenko the first defeat of his professional career.

Why the victory mattered

For Jacobs, the victory restored his standing in a middleweight division featuring Canelo Álvarez, Golovkin and Demetrius Andrade. Seven months later, in May 2019, he faced Álvarez in a major title unification fight, losing by unanimous decision. Defeating Derevyanchenko had helped position him for that opportunity.

Derevyanchenko's narrow defeat demonstrated that his shorter professional record understated his calibre. The bout also took place near the end of HBO's decades-long relationship with boxing, although it was not the network's final boxing broadcast; that came in December 2018.

Historical accuracy: was Jacobs fortunate?

The official verdict was close and contemporary observers differed in how they valued Jacobs' cleaner counters against Derevyanchenko's aggression. The opening-round knockdown mattered, but it did not by itself decide twelve rounds of scoring.

Crucially, this was a split-decision victory for the vacant IBF middleweight title, not a knockout or an undisputed championship. Two former sparring partners had tested their knowledge of each other under championship pressure, and Jacobs had done enough on two judges' scorecards.