Oleksandr Gvozdyk says he has no plans to run away from David Benavidez when he fights for the WBC interim light heavyweight title on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Benavidez fans believe he's almost certain to win against the 37-year-old former WBC 175-pound champion Gvozdyk (20-1, 16 KOs) and are already looking forward to seeing “The Mexican Monster” next face the winner of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed light heavyweight title.
Gvozdyk is ready to beat Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs), who has never fought at 168 pounds and whose promoters have used him to get to this point against weaker opponents.
Gvozdyk: “I won't run away”
“It's going to be a great fight, full of punches and skill. We're going to be the ones taking center stage,” Oleksandr Gvozdyk told ABN Sports Media about his bout against David Benavidez this Saturday night on PBC on Prime Video PPV.
“He's very smart and he uses multiple punch combinations and pressure,” Gvozdyk said of Benavidez's opponents. “His punches are really fast so you have to be careful.”
“I won't run away. If I ran away you guys wouldn't be happy. That's why you all have to see me in the ring fighting your idol,” Gvozdyk said as a message to fans who doubt Benavidez.
For Benavidez, this will be his first time fighting an opponent of nearly his same size, and given that he is facing a much more talented fighter than anyone he has faced before, he could potentially lose the bout.
That will be a bitter pill to swallow for Benavidez fans and for the media who have not scrutinized the types of opponents he has faced.
Knowledgeable fans consider Benavidez a powerhouse at weight, pointing out that he is a light heavyweight/cruiserweight fighter but chose to drop down to 168 pounds in order to overpower smaller opponents.
Gvozdyk sets his sights on absolute title triumph
“I'll be the interim world champion,” Gvozdyk said of what he'll gain from Saturday's fight with Benavidez. “On the other side, you have Bivol and Beterbiev. They'll decide the absolute world champion. I'll be the obligatory [to them].
“Even if Bivol beats him, I'm not interested in fighting him because it's not personal,” Gvozdyk said when asked if he would like a rematch with Artur Beterbiev to avenge his loss in 2019. “I just want to be champion, and the guy who holds all the belts would be my next target,” Gvozdyk said.
