Gvozdik's Defeat. He Is a Top Contender, but Everything Must Start Over

Alexander Medvedev discusses Gvozdik's fight with Beterbiev and predicts a difficult future for the Ukrainian.

Fight Status

Much attention was focused on the unification bout between WBC light heavyweight champion Alexander Gvozdik and IBF champion Artur Beterbiev.

First, the ring would determine the division's leader, expected to break the four-way reign that has prevailed recently. Sergey Kovalev (WBO) has the best record in the weight class, but his most successful years are behind him. Dmitry Bivol (WBA) may one day try on the crown of the strongest at 175 pounds, but for now he is a hostage to low-grade opposition and an overly academic style. 

Artur Beterbiev has great potential, a fan-friendly style and incredible power, but there were reservations about him due to his infrequent appearances in the ring and the absence of truly serious tests. Ukrainian Gvozdik was considered the linear champion, since, unlike other colleagues in the champion's circle, he took the WBC belt from its previous owner, meaning he managed to observe the principle of title succession. Each of these guys could call himself the king of the mountain, but while their paths had not crossed, this sounded convincing only to the most devoted fans. The unification of Gvozdik and Beterbiev broke that established order.

Second, from a historical perspective this was also an important event, since the winner of this pair would become only the 9th unified light heavyweight champion in the last 36 years.

Moreover, the fight gained extra interest from their amateur history. Ten years ago the fighters met at a tournament in Turkey, and then the already seasoned and titled Artur stopped the still green Alexander Gvozdik early. So beyond the sporting intrigue, the media heavily promoted the theme of revenge, which rarely goes unnoticed by fans.

A Fight on Collision Course

On the eve of the bout, no one could accurately predict how it would end. Perhaps this was the hardest fight to predict in 2019, and expectations for this meeting were met.

Artur started a bit more actively and pressed his mobile opponent. Gvozdik worked forward but was overly cautious, though this did not save him: already at the end of the opening round the referee counted a knockdown. Fortunately, during the break the third man in the ring reviewed the incident and rightly overturned his decision, since the Ukrainian fell to the canvas not from a punch but from a push.

At first Gvozdik set up in front of his opponent at a dangerous distance, but even visually it was clear that Beterbiev's powerful punches were felt even through the guard. Artur was especially good in body work.

Gvozdik did not fall behind. He threw more punches, but since he worked more often on the retreat, his accuracy left much to be desired. At the time the fight was stopped, the punch statistics were not in the Ukrainian's favor: 118 versus 161 landed punches. It should be noted, however, that Artur's surge forward happened in the 9th and 10th rounds, and before that there had been parity.

The fight was on a collision course; each boxer, after taking a significant punch, immediately went on the attack to recover. In the middle rounds both were shaken, but neither could build on the success.

After the midpoint Gvozdik began breathing heavily, as the constant body work by the Dagestani started to tell. Not for nothing, nearly 25% of his power punches were aimed at the lower level of his opponent. On willpower and morale alone, the Ukrainian produced a fine eighth round, throwing several heavy double punches at Artur, but he could not keep it up. 

In the 9th round Alexander already found it hard to keep up with the pace set by Artur; he spent almost the entire round defending, was staggered by a body shot and barely made it to the bell. Teddy Atlas's traditional emotional pep talk  did not help: Gvozdik's body no longer obeyed him, he could not counter and was hanging on by a single thread. Beterbiev unleashed the instinct of a killer, kept tormenting his opponent and, in the end, forced the Ukrainian to «take a knee». After two more knockdowns, the last of which came 10 seconds before the end of the round, the referee waved it off. TKO 10.

What Lies Ahead for Gvozdik

The winner's prospects are clear: Artur Beterbiev faces dazzling opportunities. First he must hold a mandatory title defense against Chinese boxer Fanlong Meng, and that fight will likely take place on January 25, ahead of Chinese New Year. Then it gets more interesting. WBA champion Dmitry Bivol has expressed a desire to unify the titles, and since he is not bound by contracts to any major network, there should be no problem organizing such a fight. The main thing is the desire. 

If Sergey Kovalev beats Canelo on November 2, one can look in that direction too. There is a launchpad for promotion, a personal story and big money, but for some reason it seems the Chelyabinsk fighter will not want to take such a risk, since it now seems that Artur would do to Sergey the same thing he did to Gvozdik, only more confidently and faster. 

As for Alexander Gvozdik, his prospects are less rosy. No, he remains a solid top contender and will surely get another chance to become champion again. The question is when?

A rematch with Beterbiev is not on the table in the foreseeable future. The fight was indeed close, as the scorecards at the stoppage show: 87-84 and 85-84 for Gvozdik and 87-83 for the Dagestani. However, the question of who is the strongest has been taken off the agenda. Beterbiev did not win with a lucky punch, nor because the Kharkiv fighter was suddenly overcome by fatigue. Beterbiev relentlessly ground down his opponent until he broke.

After today's megafight, the momentum for unifying titles in the division will likely continue. A Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol bout is shaping up for the middle of next year, and from there the absolute title is within reach.

Much will depend on the outcome of the November 2 bout between Sergey Kovalev and Saul Alvarez, after which the situation in the division will become somewhat clearer. If the Mexican wins, the WBO belt could soon become vacant, as it is hard to believe Saul will stay long at light heavyweight. If Kovalev succeeds, the Krusher will maximize the popularity he has gained by converting it into money in easy fights, and at the right time he will risk it all for a historic bout for the absolute title.

Where does Alexander Gvozdik fit into such a scenario? He does not fall into the category of easy opponents, so champions are unlikely to take unnecessary risks and voluntarily expose themselves to danger. What should the Ukrainian do? Win. Gvozdik needs to regain confidence in his own abilities, climb back up the rankings, follow developments in the division and grab any opportunity as soon as it arises.

Alexander Medvedev