On the night of June 16 in Las Vegas, USA, a fight for the interim WBC light heavyweight title (up to 79.4 kg) took place between David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) and Oleksandr Gvozdyk (20-2, 16 KOs).
The fight lasted all 12 rounds and ended with Benavidez winning by unanimous decision. The judges' scores were 116-112, 117-111, and 119-109.
This marks the first loss for the Ukrainian since 2019.
Fight Statistics
Total Punches: Benavidez landed 223 out of 521 (42.8%), while Gvozdyk landed 163 out of 699 (23.3%).
Jabs: Benavidez landed 60 out of 172 thrown (34.9%). Gvozdyk landed 55 out of 311 (17.7%).
Power Punches: Benavidez landed 163 out of 349 (46.7%), while Gvozdyk landed 108 out of 388 (27.8%).
What’s Next?
Jose Benavidez, David’s father and trainer, stated that he would like his son to face WBA and IBO light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol. However, Bivol has a planned unification bout against WBC, WBO, and IBF champion Artur Beterbiev.
Following that, a significant title shot for Benavidez may be expected, with the support of Turki Alalshikh, who has expressed a desire to organize this fight multiple times.