PHILADELPHIA -- Boxing fans have to consistently put up with the fact that often the best don't fight the best. This is usually because fighters and they're teams aren't willing to cross promotional lines in a sport that is becoming more fractured by the day. Which is why fans should rejoice when they get a unification fight between two of the best fighters in a division. Fans will get just that on Oct. 18 when WBC light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk meets IBF champ Artur Beterbiev on ESPN.
It seems weird to say that a fighter like Gvozdyk (17-0, 14 KOs) is underrated. He's undefeated, a champion, and has a few highlight reel knockouts on his resume but doesn't seem to have the same hype that lesser fighters enjoy. His nickname is 'The Nail' but it could be 'The Hammer' for the way he punishes opponents. Part of what makes Gvozdyk so good is that he never gets overly aggressive. He remains patient and calm in the ring and his jab is one of his best weapons. Along with that jab Gvozdyk also shows an excellent straight right hand and a dangerous left hook and he seems to have found a great match in trainer Teddy Atlas.
Gvozdyk is best known for his brutal knockout of former WBC champion Adonis Stevenson. 'The Nail' also has wins over Yunieski Gonzalez, Isaac Chilemba, and Tommy Karpency. His biggest, and most important victory was, without a doubt, the one over Stevenson. That win made Gvozdyk the WBC champion and he has successfully defended that title once, beating Doudou Ngumbu. While Ngumbu was a bit of an easy touch for the champion, Beterbiev certainly won't be. Both Gvozdyk and Beterbiev are widely considered to be among the best four fighters in the light heavyweight divison. The others at the top are Sergey Kovalev and Dmitry Bivol but the winner of this fight could lay legitimate claim to being the best in the division.
If Beterbiev (14-0, 14 KOs) it's power. That should be clear from the fact that every single one of his professional fights has ended with him scoring a knockout victory. Beterbiev likes to fight on the inside and does a great job of attacking the body. Both his left hook and right hand can do damage and while he's a big puncher he isn't a wild one. Beterbiev remains patient in the ring and doesn't often throw caution to the wind while looking for the knockout. While he has shown himself to be a dangerous puncher he also has some flaws. The most notable being the fact that he lacks a good jab and often plows straight ahead, having to eat punches on his way to the inside. A jab would help him get inside easier and would also allow him to find more success from the outside.
While Gvozdyk was able to get a marquee win by beating Stevenson, Beterbiev lacks that type of name on his resume. He does have a perfect record and his knockout percentage literally couldn't get any better but he doesn't have any wins that make your eyes pop. He did hand Callum Johnson the first loss of his career but his two best wins besides that came against an old Gabriel Campillo and a washed Tavoris Cloud. Friday's fight won't just be the biggest of Beterbiev's career but it will also be a chance to prove his record is legit and it will be the third defense of his IBF title.
Gvozdyk's height and reach advantage could play a big role in this fight. He is the better boxer and can fight well from the outside while Beterbiev will really need to get inside to do consistent damage. Look for Gvozdyk to use his advantages but staying busy with the jab and moving on the outside while also picking his spots to sit down on his power punches. Meanwhile, Beterbiev is going to need to make this a tough inside fight. To get inside he will need to slip the jab of Gvozdyk and make sure to slow him down by attacking the body. A phone booth style fight will favor Beterbiev so expect Gvozdyk to really stick and move.
PREDICTION: Artur Beterbiev is a tough fighter with serious power. However, his lack of a jab will hurt him against Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Gvozdyk has good power and he's clearly the better boxer between the two and those boxing skills will be on display when Gvozdyk boxes his way to a unanimous decision victory.
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| Gvozdyk, catching Adonis Stevenson with a left hook |
Gvozdyk is best known for his brutal knockout of former WBC champion Adonis Stevenson. 'The Nail' also has wins over Yunieski Gonzalez, Isaac Chilemba, and Tommy Karpency. His biggest, and most important victory was, without a doubt, the one over Stevenson. That win made Gvozdyk the WBC champion and he has successfully defended that title once, beating Doudou Ngumbu. While Ngumbu was a bit of an easy touch for the champion, Beterbiev certainly won't be. Both Gvozdyk and Beterbiev are widely considered to be among the best four fighters in the light heavyweight divison. The others at the top are Sergey Kovalev and Dmitry Bivol but the winner of this fight could lay legitimate claim to being the best in the division.
If Beterbiev (14-0, 14 KOs) it's power. That should be clear from the fact that every single one of his professional fights has ended with him scoring a knockout victory. Beterbiev likes to fight on the inside and does a great job of attacking the body. Both his left hook and right hand can do damage and while he's a big puncher he isn't a wild one. Beterbiev remains patient in the ring and doesn't often throw caution to the wind while looking for the knockout. While he has shown himself to be a dangerous puncher he also has some flaws. The most notable being the fact that he lacks a good jab and often plows straight ahead, having to eat punches on his way to the inside. A jab would help him get inside easier and would also allow him to find more success from the outside.
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| Beterbiev, having his hand raised in victory with his IBF belt |
Gvozdyk's height and reach advantage could play a big role in this fight. He is the better boxer and can fight well from the outside while Beterbiev will really need to get inside to do consistent damage. Look for Gvozdyk to use his advantages but staying busy with the jab and moving on the outside while also picking his spots to sit down on his power punches. Meanwhile, Beterbiev is going to need to make this a tough inside fight. To get inside he will need to slip the jab of Gvozdyk and make sure to slow him down by attacking the body. A phone booth style fight will favor Beterbiev so expect Gvozdyk to really stick and move.
PREDICTION: Artur Beterbiev is a tough fighter with serious power. However, his lack of a jab will hurt him against Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Gvozdyk has good power and he's clearly the better boxer between the two and those boxing skills will be on display when Gvozdyk boxes his way to a unanimous decision victory.
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