David Benavidez Beats Oleksandr Gvozdyk By Judges’ Decision to Win WBC Interim Title

Doric SamJune 16, 2024

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David Benavidez became a two-division champion by defeating Oleksandr Gvozdyk by a unanimous decision (116-112, 117-111, 118-109) to claim the WBC interim light heavyweight title in the co-main event of PBC Fight Night on Saturday.

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The fight against Gvozdyk marked Benavidez’s debut at 175 pounds, and he passed with flying colors. He entered the fight as the reigning WBC interim super middleweight champion and now improved his record to 29-0 with 24 knockouts while adding another title to his mantle.

Gvozdyk (20-2, 16 KO) was a former WBC light heavyweight champion and entered Saturday’s event riding the momentum of three straight wins in 2023 following a four-year layoff. He said prior to the fight that he believed the move up in weight would benefit Benavidez, and his prediction proved to be true.

The victory strengthens Benavidez’s case to challenge undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez in a fight that fans have loudly been clamoring for in recent years. The reigning 168-pound king has made it clear that fighting Benavidez would require a major payday because he believes the 27-year-old would have a significant size advantage if they met in the ring.

“All I see is that Benavidez weighs 25 or 30 pounds more than I do on the day of the fight,” Alvarez said last month. “I have no problem with that, but if you want me to fight with him it’s $200 million.”

It remains to be seen if any promoter would be willing to meet Alvarez’s contract demands, but it’s clear that a fight between him and Benavidez is one of the most exciting available matchups in all of boxing at the moment.

After Benavidez’s win on Saturday, the demands for a fight against Alvarez will only grow louder, so “El Monstro” could eventually get his wish of meeting one of the best boxers of his generation in the squared circle at some point soon.