Gvozdyk: "I'm Going to Face a Monster"

On the night of June 16 in Las Vegas, USA, David Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) and Oleksandr Gvozdyk (20-1, 16 KOs) will fight for the interim WBC light heavyweight title (up to 79.4 kg). Ahead of the event, a press conference and stare-down took place.

Benavidez's promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, was the first to speak: "I’ll say that Benavidez will become the champion. That’s what I think. I call him el bandera roja – the red flag. When you go to the beach and see a red flag, it means you can’t go into the water. If you go into the water, you will lose. You might lose. And that’s what will happen. I like how I call him the Mexican monster. Everyone will laugh at him. So, Mike Tyson, thank you.

And to Gvozdyk, I wish you luck. I know this will be a good fight. I love Ukraine. I have many friends in Ukraine, and I love my friends in Ukraine. Whatever the result, my heart will always be in Ukraine. Thank you, and God bless you both."

Oleksandr Gvozdyk shared that he is preparing for the best version of Benavidez: "I don’t expect any leniency from him. I know that now I have to face him at his best. He has no weight issues now, so I’m going to face the best version of Benavidez. I’m just going to face the monster."

David stated that he plans to knock out the Ukrainian: "I’m just going to be David Benavidez. The monster will come into the ring. I always go for the knockout. This fight will be no exception. I’m going to knock out Oleksandr.

We’re going to continue to put on impressive performances and beat the best in the division. And that’s exactly what I want to keep doing. I just want to be a fighter who can make every fight a carnival. I’m going to give you the best fights possible. A bit of meat."