David Benavidez is set to make his return to the light heavyweight division this Saturday, June 15th, at the legendary MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, against former WBC and lineal light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
The bout will be for the WBC interim light heavyweight championship and will be the co-main event of a fight card featuring Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin.
Benavidez had a few bouts at light heavyweight earlier in his career, fighting Ricardo Campillo and Felipe Romero in six and eight round bouts respectively, and during a media workout yesterday, Benavidez said he feels much stronger and faster at the weight class.
Oleksandr Gvozdyk (20-1, 16 KOs) is a technical boxer with an Olympic background, winning a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics. He defeated Adonis Stevenson to win the WBC and lineal titles, then took Artur Beterbiev to the 10th round where he was knocked out.
Oleksandr has the power and style to be a challenge for Benavidez. Caleb Plant had limited success against Benavidez by boxing on the outside. Gvozdyk has the size and strength to potentially box on the outside much more effectively than Plant.
Would he be able to absorb and withstand David's punches? Benavidez is a combination puncher who outworks his opponent round after round. Plant had success early in the fight, winning the early rounds and limiting Benavidez's consecutive punches to single digits in four of the first five rounds.
Gvozdyk was boxing effectively on the outside early in his bout against Artur Beterbiev, matching Beterbiev's total number of punches landed in the first six rounds with 79 (Compubox), but Benavidez proved to have mobility issues.
While he has made great strides in this area, his mobility remains his biggest weakness, and it's the only area Oleksandr can try to exploit. Gvozdyk will have to use his lateral movement to utilize the entire ring, take advantage of his slight reach advantage (75.5) to land jabs from long range, and stay disciplined with his in-and-out movement throughout the entire 12-round bout. Can Gvozdyk use this strategy for the entire fight? At 37 years old, it may not be possible.
David Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) seems poised to challenge the best in the light heavyweight division, and a fight against Artur Beterbiev or Dmitry Bivol could be on the way, but he must first beat Gvozdyk.
He faces a legitimate threat and Gvozdyk should not be taken lightly. Benavidez should aim for the body early to slow Gvozdyk down. Oleksandr
Benavidez is going to be boxing outside the ring, so he'll need to apply the pressure as usual, cut through the ring effectively and punish him with ferocious combinations. Benavidez will need to display a more solid defense, as the boxers are bigger and stronger in this division and well-timed counters can do damage.
This is similar to the instant knockdown he suffered from a counter attack against Ronald Gavril, and if he can apply the pressure effectively, Benavidez should be able to take Gvozdyk down and come out victorious.
