The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

WE can now add the International Boxing Federation's middleweight contender eliminator match to an already star-studded weekend for professional boxing.

According to Golden Boy Promotions President Eric Gomez, Tureano Johnson will take on Serhiy Derevianchenko on August 25 for the right to be the No.1 contender in the division and bid to challenge for the title.

The 12-round bout will take place at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma.

No television deal has been announced as yet. DiBella Entertainment, the co-promoter of Derevianchenko, won the mandatory purse bid set down by the IBF for the bout.

DiBella claimed the right of principal promoters with their winning bid of $121,000 and outdid the bid set forth by Johnson's Golden Boy Promotions, who offered $62,000. There will be a 50-50 purse split between the fighters following the bout, meaning each fighter will walk away with just over $60,000.

"I'm not stressed about that, I just want to fight. A legit fight with a legit opponent," Johnson said. "Serhiy is a good fighter, good at just about everything he does. I think this is a bit of a step up in opponent."

The IBF mandated that Johnson must square off with Derevianchenko of Ukraine to determine the challenger for Gennady Golovkin's middleweight title.

Derevianchenko, 31, ranked 2nd on the IBF challenger list, is undefeated in his young professional career thus far at 10-0, with 8 KOs. His last fight was a fifth round stoppage of Kemahl Russell in March.

Johnson, 33, returned to the ring in May after being sidelined for nearly a year-and-a-half with a second round knockout over Fabiano Pena. He improved to 20-1, 14 knockouts.

Both fighters represented their respective countries at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The winner will then attempt to outbox the dominant Golovkin and blemish his spotless 37-0, 33KOs record.

Johnson was originally intended to face Golovkin last April. However, the fight never took place for a myriad of reasons.

The Pena fight was Johnson's first fight under Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions stable since making the switch in September 2015, a move that was expected to send him on the fast track to an eventual title shot and prominence in the division.

He injured his shoulder in a unanimous decision win over Irishman Eamonn O'Kane on October 17, 2015. With the win, he became the mandatory No.1 contender. He further damaged the rotator cuff just ahead of his scheduled fight with Golovkin.

Johnson was granted a medical extension by the IBF but exceeded the permitted time for a mandatory challenger to remain inactive.

Golovkin is set to defend his world titles against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez on September 16th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.