Derevyanchenko Talks About Fighting with an Injury

Ukrainian super middleweight (up to 76.2 kg) boxer Sergiy Derevyanchenko (15-6, 10 KOs) commented on his loss to Frenchman Christian Mbilli (28-0, 23 KOs).

- We saw what happened to your hand in the fourth round. Why did you decide to continue in what turned out to be a great fight?

- Yes, I didn’t want to give up and kept fighting.

- You clearly have a strong fighting spirit, you’ve never been stopped early. How important was it for you, even in defeat, not to be stopped that night?

- It was all about my legs. My legs were fine. I only had one healthy hand, so I had to move. When I stopped, he started landing combinations.

- Did you realize when it happened? How painful was it?

- In the next round, I tried to throw a punch, but I couldn’t. I immediately knew that I couldn’t punch with my left hand.

- You’ve already faced some of the best fighters in middleweight and super middleweight divisions. How do you rate Christian Mbilli?

- He’s a good and strong boxer. But if I had both of my hands healthy today, it would have been a completely different situation.

- I know why you fight. I saw your family here, your Ukrainian supporters. What would you like to say to them?

- Of course, I sincerely thank my fans, my Ukrainian supporters, my team, my manager Tim Connolly, and my family.

As a reminder, in the early hours of August 18 in Quebec, Canada, Christian Mbilli defeated Serhii Derevyanchenko by unanimous decision. In the 4th round, the Ukrainian suffered a left bicep injury and boxed the remainder of the fight primarily with his right hand.