David Benavidez goes up against Oleksandr Gvozdyk at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, June 15. The former world champions battle it out for the interim WBC light heavyweight title. The contest serves as the co-feature to Gervonta Davis vs Frank Martin live on PPV. At the launch press conference, the fighters previewed their bout and came face to face for the first time.
Undefeated David Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) has been one of the top competitors to challenge Canelo Alvarez for his undisputed super middleweight title. To date the fight hasn’t materialized, and the Seattle-based two-time WBC 168-pound champion moves up a weight class. The 27-year-old Phoenix native won two fights in 2023, eliminating Demetrius Andrade in six rounds last November and scoring a unanimous decision against Caleb Plant last March.
“I’m very excited to be going to the light heavyweight division to compete against the best 175-pound fighters,” said Benavidez. “I’ve been eyeing that division for a long time, and now I feel like it’s my time. I’m going to go unify the division. I’ve watched Gvozdyk for a long time – I know exactly how he fights. I actually sparred him when I was 20 years old and I know he’s a really tough opponent, so I need to be 100%. This is a hard fight, but I’m going to make it look easy.”
Oxnard, California-based Oleksandr Gvozdyk (20-1, 16 KOs) is riding a three-fight winning streak. Last September and May, the 37-year-old native of Kharkiv, Ukraine stopped Isaac Rodrigues and Ricards Bolotniks in the second and sixth round, respectively. In February 2023, the former WBC light heavyweight champion defeated Josue Obando by unanimous decision to rebound from his first career defeat against Artur Beterbiev back in October 2019.
“I’ve never avoided any challenges, and this is no exception,” said Gvozdyk. “Benavidez is a top caliber fighter and that’s exactly what motivates me to train hard each and every day. If you want to be the best, you have to fight the best. I’m ready to become a champion once again.”
In the main event, Baltimore’s undefeated three-division world champion Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27) faces unbeaten contender Frank Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) of Detroit. “Tank” brings to the ring his WBA lightweight belt.
Other bouts featured on Davis vs Martin undercard are expected to be confirmed shortly.