Artur Beterbiev vs. Oleksandr Gvozdyk - October 18, 2019

[Ruthless-RKO]

Two very bad men are set for an old-fashioned Philadelphia throwdown.

WBC light heavyweight world champion Oleksandr “The Nail” Gvozdyk and IBF light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev will fight in a highly anticipated title unification bout Friday, Oct. 18 at the Liacouras Center.

Beterbiev and Gvozdyk enter this can’t-miss clash with a combined record of 31-0 with 28 knockouts.

Gvozdyk-Beterbiev will headline a special edition of Top Rank on ESPN beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes.

The undercard will stream live on ESPN+ beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Peltz Boxing, tickets priced at $150, $90, $75 and $50 (not including applicable fees) go on sale Friday, Aug. 23 at 12 p.m. ET and can be purchased at the Liacouras Center Box Office, www.liacourascenter.com or charge by phone at 800-298-4200.



“This could very well be the fight of the year,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “These are two evenly matched, undefeated light heavyweight champions. There is nothing better in the sport of boxing.”

“My first goal was to win a light heavyweight world title. Now, I want to unify the belts, and that mission starts with Artur Beterbiev,” Gvozdyk said. “This is going to be a spectacular fight, one that the fans will enjoy. The fans asked for this fight, and we will deliver. One thing I know is that I will be the unified champion. I have the best trainer, Teddy Atlas, in my corner. This is our third fight together, and under his guidance, I will continue to get better.”

“I wish to thank Top Rank and my opponent, Oleksandr Gvozdyk, for making this unification bout possible and giving the fans around the world what they want,” Beterbiev said. “This will be a great fight between the two champions who aspire to become the undisputed light heavyweight world champion. I am looking forward to stepping into the ring on October 18.”

Gvozdyk (17-0, 14 KOs) will be making the second defense of the title he won from longtime champion Adonis Stevenson in a come-from-behind 11th-round KO last December in Quebec City, Canada. He followed up the Stevenson win with a dominant fifth-round TKO March 30 over Doudou Ngumbu in Philadelphia, where a large Ukrainian contingent showed up to cheer on their countryman. Gvozdyk captured a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics, where he was teammates with current professional stablemate and pound-for-pound great Vasiliy Lomachenko. A five-year pro, Gvozdyk climbed the ranks with victories over established veterans like Isaac Chilemba, Yunieski Gonzalez and Nadjib Mohammedi.

Beterbiev (14-0, 14 KOs), a former Russian amateur star, has a come-forward, take-no-prisoners ring approach that has made him the only current world champion with a 100 percent KO ratio. He won the vacant IBF world title with a 12th-round TKO over Enrico Koelling, preserving his perfect KO record by stopping Koelling with 27 seconds left in the bout. His two title defenses have lasted a total of nine rounds, and most recently, he walked through longtime contender Radivoje “Hot Rod“ Kalajdzic in five rounds in the main event of the May 4 Top Rank on ESPN telecast.

boxing scene

[Ruthless-RKO]

For those that were bitching about this thread only being in the B&I section..

Knock yourself out...

[Martin.Ch]

This is a great fight for the division... I hope we will see more unifications in the upcoming year. As for the result my personal guess is Gvozdyk by TKO in mid to later rounds. But with Betrebiev power anything could happen also some say he has a questionable chin so we will see what can Gvozdyk do as he is bringing some power with him too. There are many questions this fight will answer i think but we will see.

[RonnyJ]

this is what boxing should be!!!

the best against the best
prime vs prime

gvozdyk by late rd Tko, gvozdk is a LH all time great, cant see many boxer in LH history who can hang with him.

[Ruthless-RKO]

this is what boxing should be!!!

the best against the best
prime vs prime

gvozdyk by late rd Tko, gvozdk is a LH all time great, cant see many boxer in LH history who can hang with him.

A 40 year old Stevenson hung with him pretty well.. Even shook him a couple of times.

[RonnyJ]

this is what boxing should be!!!

the best against the best
prime vs prime

gvozdyk by late rd Tko, gvozdk is a LH all time great, cant see many boxer in LH history who can hang with him.

A 40 year old Stevenson hung with him pretty well.. Even shook him a couple of times.

this is what happens when the best fight the best and adonis even at 40 was still a powerhouse who could wreck 98 % of all lh

[boxing_rocks]

It appears that Beterbiev stopped Gvozdyk in amateurs.

[RonnyJ]

It appears that Beterbiev stopped Gvozdyk in amateurs.

Dont shock me. Bertebiev has p4p atg kind of punching power.

[margaret thatcher]

He stopped him on a nose bleed I read, I highly doubt a pro fight is getting stopped for that

[Blodhemn]

Beterbiev was at the height of his ability in the ams - very strong competitor. Wasted the tail of his prime in the pros - should've fought Kovalev or Stevenson. He looks old as fvk now. Gvozdyk by stoppage, unless he plays a shitty safe style.

[boxing_rocks]

He stopped him on a nose bleed I read, I highly doubt a pro fight is getting stopped for that

It was a broken nose.

[Best Coast]

Already voted for Gvozdyk in the British/Irish thread by close decision & do the same here.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Already voted for Gvozdyk in the British/Irish thread by close decision & do the same here.

It would be weird if you posted different results.

[Duran1970]

It appears that Beterbiev stopped Gvozdyk in amateurs.

Dont shock me. Bertebiev has p4p atg kind of punching power.

Slow down there mate

[Ruthless-RKO]

Unification time..

Fight week.. Gotta look forward to this one.

Champions fighting each other.

[Ruthless-RKO]

As Russia and Ukraine dominate the news, both countries have become inextricably linked to the current impeachment inquiry in Washington DC. Up the road in Philadelphia, two world champion boxers–one Russian, one Ukrainian–are preparing to meet in a light-heavyweight unification bout.

As their home countries wage war against each other, their thoughts are 5,000 miles away, focused not on the opponent’s country, but on the man he will meet in the center of the ring at Temple University’s Liacouras Center on Oct. 18. The winner will leave the ring as WBC/ IBF Light-Heavyweight Champion of the world.

Oleksandr Gvozdyk (17-0, 14 KOs) is the current WBC Light- Heavyweight Champion, having defeated Adonis Stevenson via knockout in the 11th round of their Dec., 2018, bout in Quebec, Canada. The knockout would end Stevenson’s boxing career.

IBF Light-Heavyweight Champion Artur Beterbiev (14-0, 14 KOs) defeated Gvozdyk when the two met as amateurs–Beterbiev representing Russia, Gvozdyk representing Ukraine.

Both boxers were decorated amateurs. Beterbiev had over 300 amateur fights and won gold and silver in world-level contests in Milan and Chicago. Gvozdyk had over 250 amateur bouts and won a bronze medal for Ukraine in the 2012 Olympics in London.

Gvozdyk is followed closely by those in his home country of Ukraine and Ukrainians stateside, despite moving to California five years ago to focus on his career: “One month ago, we went to the Ukrainian Festival. There were a lot of Ukrainian people there and I was surprised that a lot of them knew me. We spent a couple hours there, signing autographs and taking photos.”

Gvozdyk, whose father had a brief career as an amateur boxer in Ukraine, is living out his dream in California. “When I asked my wife to come to California with me, to leave her home, she said the most important thing is that I’m going to go with you,” Gvozdyk said of his wife, Daria. He acknowledges that it can sometimes be difficult to be away from family as the two raise a family, but the kids–two boys and one girl, ages 3-10–have traveled the world with their parents. “Our kids are the most quiet kids on the plane when they travel. They don’t cry. They know it’s pointless.” Gvozdyk lost his mother in 2014.

Politics is not a topic that Gvozdyk is anxious to discuss, going so far as to say he doesn’t know what’s happening. “It doesn’t bother me,” he said. “I’m just an athlete. I don’t want to make any parallels to the fight. I am living in California, he is living in Montreal. I just don’t know anything about it.”

“Teddy Atlas, Gvozdyk’s trainer, runs a tight ship,” said J Russell Peltz, who is co-promoting the championship fight with Top Rank. “It doesn’t surprise me that he’s not focused on what’s happening on the other side of the world.”

His opponent, Beterbiev, shared the sentiment. “Any war is bad for people, but I really don’t want to talk about it,” said the Russian, who relocated to Montreal six years ago to further his career. “It’s far from me in Canada.”

Shugurov hints at other motives at why the boxers don’t want to talk about life in the former Soviet bloc: “They are high-profile athletes and they don’t want to upset anyone. They don’t want to have problems like those that have happened with other boxers.

“Ukrainians and Russians are everywhere and they are like a network. Fighters as a whole don’t want to get involved. They want to make money and not have problems. Beterbiev, he’s Canadian now. Gvozdyk is American.”

Beterbiev’s family life nearly mirrors that of his opponent. Married with four children ages 2-8, Beterbiev lost his father to an accident when he was only sixteen. His father was just starting to enjoy his son’s career. “A couple days before he died, I won a bronze medal in a tournament. He said to me: ‘You won this fight. Now go go go. I believe in you.’”

Raising a family away from home hasn’t been easy for Beterbiev and his wife, Medena, though Beterbiev’s mother has traveled to Canada to help.

[Cent0089]

Literally cannot wait for this one. Champ vs champ, undefeated vs undefeated, both my favorites, 50:50 fight. This is why i love boxing

[Onetimeonly]

He stopped him on a nose bleed I read, I highly doubt a pro fight is getting stopped for that

Especially not while gvodzyk is beating the shit out of him.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[DrDuke]

Gvozdyk is levels above Beter. Of course, he can get caught and KOed, but I don't much believe in this happening. That is Beter, who'll be KOed or TKOed after being outboxed and broken down.

[Ruthless-RKO]

WBC stats for Friday



TOP RANK PRESENTS:

OLEKSANDR “The Nail” GVOZDYK (Ukraine)
WBC Light Heavyweight World Champion, 2nd title defense
Age: 32 / Date of birth: April 15, 1987
Residence: Camarillo, California / Birthplace: Kharkiv, Ukraine
Record: 17-0, 14 KOs / Total rounds: 88 / World championship fights: 2-0, 2 KOs
Height: 6’2.5″ – 189cm / Reach: 75.5″ – 192cm / Stance: Right-handed
Manager: Egis Klimas / Trainer: Teddy Atlas

ARTUR BETERBIEV (Russia)
IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion, 3rd title defense
Age: 34 / Date of birth: January 21, 1985
Residence: Montréal, Québec, Canada / Birthplace: Khasavyurt, Dagestan, Russia
Record: 14-0, 14 KOs / Total rounds: 52 / World championship fights: 3-0, 3 KOs
Height: 5’11.5″ – 182cm / Reach: 73″ – 185cm / Stance: Right-handed
Manager: Creative Artists Agency / Trainer: Marc Ramsay

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WBC TOP 10 LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONS
1. Roy Jones Jr. (US)
2. Bernard Hopkins (US)
3. Bob Foster (US)
4. Michael Spinks (US)
5. Adonis Stevenson (Haiti/Canada)
6. Mike McCallum (Jamaica)
7. Jose Torres (Puerto Rico)
8. Dick Tiger (Nigeria)
9. Matthew Saad Muhammad (US)
10. Chad Dawson (US)

[Cent0089]

I am suprised how many posters here underestimating Beterbiev boxing skills. Levels under Gvozdyks? Beterbiev has one of best offensive arsenals in sport right now. He is definitely not just primitive puncher as some posters claim. If this fight go to the cards, Beterbiev would win IMO. Problem is his defense. Gvozdyk is precise and effective puncher and this holes in Beterbiev defense will cost him fight IMO. Still 50:50 fight i am soo excited

[margaret thatcher]

What are the specific standout skills? He has power no doubt and seems to have it in every shot, but you'd never guess watching him that he was an elite amateur. Very crude and open. And he just sort of leaps in with power punches rather than trying to work in with a jab. Sticks his chin way up when exchanging too--that's what got him dropped vs Johnson and also rocked a bit vs Roddy.

[Cent0089]

What are the specific standout skills? He has power no doubt and seems to have it in every shot, but you'd never guess watching him that he was an elite amateur. Very crude and open. And he just sort of leaps in with power punches rather than trying to work in with a jab. Sticks his chin way up when exchanging too--that's what got him dropped vs Johnson and also rocked a bit vs Roddy.

Jab can be murderous weapon if you can master it, but it also can work against you if you are not good with that IMO. Anyway im not really care who would win this, just wanna watch my most anticipated match this year. (After Canelo - Jacobs :) )

[margaret thatcher]

It's a great matchup and Bert can win no doubt, I just think if he does win it's through his pure brawn and beast power and not skill. I think he's outmatched in the skill.