The will of Ukraine and a country at war is a strong motivation for Oleksandr Gvodzyk in his battle with David Benavidez
By Alan Dawson
LAS VEGAS – Oleksandr Gvozdyk has a strong momentum guiding him into his lightweight fight with David Benavidez on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The pair serve as main supporters of the Gervonta Davis and Frank Martin lightweight main event in what could become an explosive Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view on Prime Video and PPV.com .
Benavidez commands his own headlines, either because of his connection to the Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez fight at super middleweight, or the winner of October’s bout between Dmitri Bivol and Artur Beterbiev at Riyadh. However, he admitted Boxing news Gvozdyk has been “a really dangerous fighter” lately.
And that could be because Ukraine’s fighters have enjoyed success this year and the camaraderie among the country’s elite stars.
This year alone, Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury, Vasiliy Lomachenko put aside George Kambosos, Denys Berinchyk defeated Emmanuel Navarrete and Serhii Bohachuk defeated Brian Mendoza.
Each of these four fighters is ranked No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 in their country, respectively, with Gvozdyk No. 5, hoping to continue Ukraine’s hot streak.
Speak privately with Boxing newsGvozdyk said he felt “no pressure” going into the fight with Benavidez, as he had “nothing but motivation” from his colleagues and people, who had endured the prolonged fight decades long with Russia, the war escalated in 2022 as Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded more of the country.
“Usyk and I both understand that it is very important for Ukraine to cheer on our people,” Gvozdyk said, adding that Usyk visited him in Los Angeles in early June to help inspire him before battle week. “We want to give them more incentive to fight against Russian aggression – against the invaders.”
He told Gvozdyk that Ukraine’s modern-day success is not surprising because they “have a really good boxing school, with a good set of athletes – and we know how to maintain that”. BN.
While confident that his fighter will win, Benavidez’s promoter Sampson Lewkowicz is wary of Gvodzyk because of the education he will receive, as well as the way the Ukrainian people have rallied to protect defend against Russia’s occupation of 20% of the country, according to the Ukrainian president. Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a 2022 article from Reuters.
“I believe that in addition to the talent of Ukrainians, their will to serve their country in one way or another – will add momentum to what is happening in Ukraine,” Lewkowicz said separately. Boxing news.
“I have total respect for the opponent, the challenger,” he told us. “I understand what is happening in his country. Under normal circumstances, Ukraine would be as free as it was many years ago and defeating him would be much easier. But now things will be more difficult because he wants to prove that Ukrainians fight to the end.
“I worry about that because it gives extra motivation. However, Benavidez will definitely be tougher and I think he will win.”
Commenting on Ukraine’s victory in boxing, Benavidez said: “Good for them and congratulations to them.
“But that race will end when I get there with Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Ukraine has had a good time in boxing this year but this is my time.”
