Benavidez Promises To KO Gvozdyk – ‘His Chin Is Weak’
David Benavidez is confident he will knock out Oleksandr Gvozdyk in their WBC Light Heavyweight Title clash on June 15.
Benavidez will box on the Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin undercard. It is his first fight at 175 pounds after moving up. The Mexican Monster could not secure the undisputed fight at 168 against Canelo Alvarez, as he turned his attention elsewhere. The interim belt is on the line, meaning a win makes Benavidez mandatory for the winner of Artur Betebiev vs Dmitry Bivol. They will fight for the Undisputed Light Heavyweight Championship on June 12.
Gvozdyk is 37 years old and in the latter part of his career. However, his record stands at 20-1. 16 of his wins were by knockout. His only defeat came against Beterbiev, who has a 100 percent KO rate. Since that loss, he has stopped his last three opponents. However, Benavidez is also a knockout artist. His record is 28-0, with 24 wins coming by knockout. He has seven stoppages in his last eight fights, with only Caleb Plant going the distance. Benavidez fancied himself to stop his opponent.
Benavidez Reacts
“Inside the ring, it’s me or him, and I can’t let him get me. I come here to do my job, and my job is to beat Oleksandr Gvozdyk. He’s a fast fighter; he has a fast right hand. I’d say his right hand is better than his jab. So, he has a really slick right hand. The thing I did notice about him coming up is he gets hurt a lot.
“In a couple of fights that he was coming up with Top Rank, and my brother was on the same card, and he got dropped a couple of times [by Tommy Karpency and Artur Beterbiev]. So, his chin is not all that. I feel his chin is weak, and I tested it in sparring, and I got the fact back. I feel like I’m a different type of fighter. I’ve got a lot of speed, a lot of combinations, and a lot of power. I also have a great jab myself, and not only that. I have the will and determination to show everybody I’m the best in the world,” Benavidez said
Success at 175 will rule out a fight against Canelo at 168. The Saudis are reportedly keen on making Bivol fight Benavidez and Jai Opetia should be get past Beterbiev. Benavidez has also expressed his desire to move up to heavyweight at some point. That may seem like a big step, but Oleksandr Usyk has shown it is possible.
Benavidez’s Future
The Ukrainian started boxing at around middleweight before working his way to cruiserweight. After becoming undisputed at cruiserweight, the Ukrainian did the same at heavyweight, beating Tyson Fury. Benavidez has a much bigger frame than Usyk, making that task a little easier. But before he can consider doing that, he must get past Gvozdyk.
“We’re taking it step by step. We’re going to conquer 175, and then go up and conqueror cruiserweight, and then from there, we’ll take a look at heavyweight. It’s definitely a dream of mine to become a four-division champion and a heavyweight champion. So, we’re going to keep working hard and see where our career takes us,” Benavidez stated
Comments
Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.