David Benavídez Scores Dominant Decision Over Gvozdyk

In a light heavyweight contest that concluded earlier today, American “Red Flag” David Benavídez (29-0, 24 KOs) secured a convincing 12-round unanimous decision victory over former WBC light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk (20-2, 16 KOs), capturing the WBC interim light heavyweight title.

The fight took place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, serving as the co-feature before the main event of Davis vs. Martin. Despite moving up from super middleweight, Benavídez displayed superior strength and right-hand power against Gvozdyk from the opening round. Gvozdyk, aged 37 and a decade older than Benavídez, is past his prime and had a three-year retirement, which made him less competitive against the ascending Benavídez.

Gvozdyk fought cautiously throughout, avoiding engaging in exchanges with Benavídez. The latter’s style was somewhat one-dimensional, with his combinations not flowing smoothly, but he dominated on points without being able to knock out Gvozdyk. In the final rounds, Benavídez showed some signs of fatigue, allowing Gvozdyk to find some opportunities, albeit too late in the bout. After 12 rounds, all three judges scored the fight in favor of Benavídez with tallies of 116-112, 117-111, and 119-110.

With this win, the 27-year-old Benavídez’s professional record improves to 29 wins with no losses, 24 of those by way of knockout. In the next 10 days, Benavídez will decide whether to remain at 175 pounds or return to 168. As Canelo Álvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has yet to commit to facing him, a return to 168 doesn’t seem meaningful. However, at 175 pounds, Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) and Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) are formidable opponents, presenting a challenging task for Benavídez. This leaves him with a difficult decision to make.