Report: Gennady Golovkin vs. Sergiy Derevyanchenko Fight Set for October 5

Gennady Golovkin and Sergiy Derevyanchenko will reportedly square off on Oct. 5 at Madison Square Garden.

Dan Rafael of ESPN reported the news, noting the two sides agreed to terms Tuesday for a fight that will determine a vacant middleweight world title. There are plans to formally announce the fight with a press conference Thursday, presuming each side is happy with the paperwork and signs the contract Wednesday.

Those negotiations lasted for weeks, and Rafael called them "acrimonious" at times.

Rafael explained the process that led to this fight instead of one featuring Canelo Alvarez.

Daniel Jacobs defeated Derevyanchenko in October, but the former lost to Alvarez in May. That cleared the way for Derevyanchenko to face Alvarez after defeating Jack Culcay in April, although Alvarez never finalized a deal with the mandatory challenger.

As a result, he was stripped of his IBF 160-pound world title in August, meaning Derevyanchenko would face Golovkin as the next contender.

Golovkin lost to Alvarez in September 2018 after they fought to a draw in 2017. The loss ended his streak of 20 straight middleweight title defenses, which tied Bernard Hopkins' record.

He won't get that third shot at Alvarez, but the 39-1-1 (35 KOs) boxer has a chance to start a new title defense if he can capitalize on his height and reach advantages against the 13-1-0 (10 KOs) Derevyanchenko.

According to BoxRec, Golovkin checks in at 5'10½" with a 70" reach compared to 5'9" with a 67½" reach for Derevyanchenko.