WBC regular middleweight champion Jermall Charlo and his challenger Sergey Derevyanchenko previewed Saturday's pay-per-view match at final press conference Wednesday. Charlo will face top contender Sergiy Derevyanchenko headlining part one of the doubleheader, while twin brother Jermell unifies his WBC title with the WBA and IBF 154-pound titles held by Jeison Rosario. Here is what Jermall Charlo and Dervyanchenko had to say about Saturday's fight, which takes place at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut:
JERMALL CHARLO
“This is just the beginning for me. There’s been 30 fighters who’ve tried to beat me, and all 30 failed. We’ll get a chance to get in there and do what we do best on Saturday. Talk is cheap. We’ll see where that green belt goes on Saturday.
“I’m focused and locked in. I’m ready to fight. Sergiy can say what he wants to say about me, it’s going to be a fight on Saturday.
“This is like the Super Bowl for us. At the end of the day, we’re always ready to fight. This is what we do and this is what we prepare ourselves for. We’re true warriors.
“Derevyanchenko is looking past me. His trainer and his whole camp, they’re all looking past me. They’re going to find out what they’re in for on Saturday.
“I’m the best in the world. On Saturday night, everyone will get a chance to see it live on SHOWTIME PPV.”
SERGIY DEREVYANCHENKO
“ I’ve fought twice for the title [close losses to Gennadiy Golovkin and Danny Jacobs], and I’m more ready than ever for the third time.
“I was happy to have the break after the Gennadiy Golovkin fight. I got good rest. I’m relaxed, and when I came back to the United States, I was ready to train and now I’m ready to fight. It all helped me.
“Golovkin and Daniel Jacobs were tough fights, they were both close fights and I think those experiences definitely helped me. I’ll show it in the ring on Saturday.
“I’m going to put pressure on him from the beginning. I’m going to use my legs, my jab and combinations to get the win.
“We always train hard and we have great sparring partners to prepare us. They’ve shown me what he’s going to bring to the ring. Now we just have to take our strategy and use it in the ring on Saturday.
“This is a big fight. When I win, even more opportunities will open up. I’ll be able to unify and take my career to the next level.”
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The remaining foru bouts on the pay-per-view broadcast are: Brandon Figueroa defending his WBA regular title against 122-pound contender Damien Vázquez, WBO bantamweight champion John Riel Casimero battling unbeaten Duke Micah, unbeaten former WBC bantamweight champion Luis Nery taking on undefeated Aaron Alameda for the vacant WBC super bantamweight championship and former IBF/WBA 122-pound unified champion Danny Román dueling former WBA champion Juan Carlos Payano in a WBC eliminator.
