Despite Benavidez’s defeat, former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk is still planning a quick comeback

By Adam Noble-Forcey

Former WBC light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk plans to return to the ring in September following a comprehensive defeat to David Benavidez last month at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Gvozdyk (20-2, 16 KOs) saw Benavidez get his hand raised by scores of 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112 in key support for Gervonta Davis’ lightweight title defense against Frank Martin.

“Well, obviously I could feel better if I won the match, but bad things happen,” Gvozdyk said. Boxing News“Physically? I’m fine! I’m ready to fight again in August or September. Obviously I expected something different from the outcome of the fight. I tried, but either the opponent was too strong or I didn’t do enough, it was a combination of both.

“What can I say, anyway? Maybe I should have tried harder. The main reason I lost was because my opponent was better that night. I gave him some good resistance, although some people expected more from me. Some people expected him to kill me in two rounds. None of those people were right. I think I gave him a good fight. I will continue to work and continue to pursue my goals.”

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 15: David Benavidez (L) punches Oleksandr Gvozdyk during their WBC interim light heavyweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Benavidez won the title by unanimous decision. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)

Benavidez made his light heavyweight debut after an unsuccessful run-in with Mexican Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, breathing new life into a division threatened by the undisputed title fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

“I can’t tell you how surprised I was. [by Benavidez]”, Gvozdyk continued. “He did exactly what I expected him to do. He’s definitely not a small guy for the light heavyweight division. He has a great future, but like everyone else, he’s not invincible. He’s a guy who can fight the top light heavyweights, but I don’t think he’s the favorite in those fights. He’s good in the division, but he’s not a killer that everyone is afraid of.

“Against myself, who I don’t consider the best light heavyweight, I did pretty well. In the second round, I thought I was winning. I tried to pull back, obviously, but it wasn’t enough and I lost, no doubt about it. I did better in the second round, which showed that he can be a monster, but not as scary as people think. I’m ready to do it again, absolutely. I’m back in the gym and thinking about my comeback. I don’t want to lose too much form.”

Benavidez will once again go after super middleweight king Canelo for his regular event in September. In the light heavyweight division, Beterbiev and Bivol have been rescheduled for October 12 after the former’s injury postponed their original fight date.

“I’m ready for any fight,” Gvozdyk explained. “The Benavidez rematch is very exciting. Any top fighter who comes for the belt, maybe a British fighter, you have a lot of fighters who are my equal. [Joshua] Buatsi, you can tell the British fans I want this fight! I’m ready, Lyndon Arthur will do it. Any British guy. Bivol-Beterbiev? I don’t even know if they’ll fight in October, I think they’ll postpone it again. Anyway, we’ll wait another year to see them fight.”

London, UK: Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol hold a press conference to announce their Undisputed World Light Heavyweight title fight in Saudi Arabia on June 1.
April 15, 2024. Photo by Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing. Fighters face each other with their belts on the line.

Despite the second defeat of his career, the 37-year-old Ukrainian still has a part to play in the tournament.

“I mentioned September because Canelo has his fight,” Gvozdyk added. “I hope to fight a worthy opponent on that show, but if not, we’ll fight someone. I need to get my position back, which I haven’t lost too much. I still have my No. 2 ranking in the WBC, I’ll be in the top five in all organizations soon, which gives me more options to fight a worthy opponent. The plan is the same.

“Benavidez’s best option is probably a rematch with me. Tell me, who else is he going to fight? No one is going to fight him at 168 pounds. [pounds]Canelo probably won’t do it. No British guy will fight him at 175 because they’re scared. I think Buatsi is scared, he’s probably not too happy with his last performance, I think he expected to beat him. [Dan Azeez] more. Maybe we can do one of these games in Saudi or somewhere, but we’ll see what happens.”