David Benavidez wasn't quite as scary at light heavyweight as he was at super middleweight, but he still had enough fire to score a 12-round unanimous decision over the highly-rated Oleksandr Gvozdyk at the MGM Grand on Saturday. The official scores were 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112.
Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) was making his 175-pound debut and it was impressive enough, His intensity and body punching were effective and he also displayed some sharp boxing technique in the fight. Gvozdyk was never seriously hurt and turned in a game effort in defeat.
“I think [the performance] is a seven out of 10," ” said Benavidez during his post-fight interview with Premier Boxing Champions. "Oleksandr is a great fighter. No wonder he’s an ex-champion and an Olympic medalist. I feel like I had a great fight and we’re looking to move on.”
“I’m still trying to get a feel for the light heavyweight division. I’m just glad we made it to this fight because I had a cut, this one right here [points to left eye] and I had a torn tendon in my left hand. I didn’t let it affect me.”
Gvozdyk took the opening round with sharper left hand work and nice movement. However, Benavidez quickly took command and won several rounds in success. His jab was sharp and he tagged the body with both hands at every opportunity.
Taking a round off in the eighth, Gvozdyk capitalized and let his hands go. However, by this point, he was miles behind and needed an unlikely knockout. The cut Benavidez referred to in his interview opened up in this round and the referee ruled that it was caused by a punch.
The fight ended quietly and the crowd were almost silent by the time the final bell rang.
Benavidez is a former two-time super middleweight champion. The Phoenix, Arizona, native lost those titles outside of the ring, but his momentum has never dropped. Disappointed by his inability to secure a fight against undisputed champ Canelo Alvarez, he elected to move up in weight.
On fight week, Benavidez made it clear in an interview with The Sporting News that he would be willing to come back down to 168 pounds to face Canelo. However, the 27-year-old pressure fighter is keeping his options open.
“I’m still looking to drop down to 168 and fight for the title. I’d like to win it one more time, whether it’s Canelo or whether he vacates. I would like to fight in both these weight classes [and face the Beterbiev-Bivol winner].”
Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin fight card, odds
- Gervonta Davis (c.) def. Frank Martin via KO 8 (1:29) for the WBA lightweight title
- David Benavidez def. Oleksandr Gvozdyk via UD 12 (119-109, 117-111, 116-112) for the interim WBC light heavyweight title
- Alberto Puello def. Gary Antuanne Russell via SD 12 (115-112, 114-113, 110-118) for the interim WBC super lightweight title
- Carlos Adames (c.) def. Terrell Gausha via UD 12 (119-109, 118-110, 118-110) for the WBC middleweight title