Oleksandr Gvozdyk seals the deal!
According to his manager, Egis Klimas, Oleksandr “The Nail” Gvozdyk (17-0, 14 KO’s) has now signed his portion of a contract to face Artur Beterbiev (14-0, 14 KO’s). When the two meet, in the US, on October 18 their clash will be a unification bout.
Gvozdyk will put his WBC light heavyweight strap up, while Beterbiev will offer his IBF title to the chopping block. 3kingsboxing has maintained on going coverage of this provocative prizefight which has quietly been pieced together over a short period of time.
Signed, Sealed and Delivered!
Not only will the dust-up serve as a unification match, it will also be a situation of ‘someone’s 0 has got to go.’ For his part, the power-punching Beterbiev hit the ground of his professional career running.
His aggressive style, solid fundamentals and heavy hands scored him knockout after knockout. For a time Beterbiev was viewed somewhat as the uncrowned king of the division, or at least, one of the main guys to beat. However, as time has passed, many believe that the Russians performances have plateaued.
Despite having a perfect knockout ratio at this point in his career, Beterbiev has shown vulnerabilities in the ring. On more than one occasion, he has had to pick himself up off the canvas.
This was most recently the case in his prizefight versus Callum Johnson. To his credit, Beterbiev would quickly recover and then stop Johnson in the fourth round. Nevertheless, the early fight scare was deeply imprinted in several boxing fans minds and memories.
Is The Nail Too Sharp?
This is why, in many ways, Gvozdyk is looking more and more like a tall order for the game Russian. While the Nail cannot lie claim the perfect knockout percentage that Beterbiev can, that doesn’t mean he’s wielding powder puffs. Only 3 of 17 opponents have gone the distance with Gvozdyk.
Not only does the taller Ukrainian tote his own respectable power, he has displayed impressive accuracy with those shots.
Yet, what is likely to prove to be the most significant asset is Gvazdyk’s footwork. As compared to Beterbiev, the WBC champion makes the Russian appear quite robotic.
Regardless of who you’re pulling for this is bound to be a fun and brutal fight. Will Beterbiev catch up to Grozdyk in grisly concussive fashion in order to maintain his perfect knockout ratio? Or, will the sharpshooting Ukrainian box himself into position to claim his fifteenth KO?
You’re just going to have to tune in on October 18! 3kings will continue close coverage on this bout as more details arise.
By: Bakari Simpson
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