THE RESULT: The debut of David Benavidez at light-heavyweight is a successful one, beating former WBC world champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk by unanimous decision. Benavidez controlled proceedings and earned three winning scorecards of 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112.
KEY MOMENTS: The entire three minutes of the opening round set the tone for the fight. Benavidez typically put a lot into his punches, and Gvozdyk did what he could to survive.
RECORDS: Benavidez moves to 29-0 (24 KOs). Gvozdyk suffers just the second defeat of his career and now sits at 20-2 (16 KOs).
TALKING POINTS: It continues to be the absence of a fight between Canelo and Benavidez. He may have moved to 175lbs but he would take the seven pounds off in a heartbeat to get a shot at the undisputed super-middleweight champion.
QUOTABLE: “I think it’s a seven out of 10,” Benavidez said. “Oleksandr is a great fighter. I thought I had a great fight, tough fight, and we will move on.”
“We’re still looking at 168 for “Canelo” [Alvarez] or a title if he vacates,” he added.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT: Benavidez can now sit and wait on the next move by Canelo, who has been ordered by the IBF to defend their super-middleweight title against William Scull. Gvozdyk will need a solid win on his record soon or may find himself in the role of gatekeeper at 175.
