Las Vegas Showdown: Benavidez Vows Undivided Focus on Gvozdyk Clash
In the boxing hotbed of Las Vegas, rising star David Benavidez has promised that he is not overlooking his upcoming opponent, Oleksandr Gvozdyk of Ukraine. Ahead of their light heavyweight showdown at the MGM Grand on Saturday, Benavidez has been steadfast in his commitment to the task at hand, even as questions swirl about potential future matchups with the likes of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez or the winner of the Dmitry Bivol-Artur Beterbiev unification bout.
The 27-year-old Benavidez, boasting an impressive 28-0 record with 24 knockouts, acknowledges that this move up to 175 pounds may suit him better than the 168-pound super middleweight division he has previously competed in. “Definitely, every fight we get better and better, but this is where I’m gonna shine, in this weight class,” he said. “It’s been the easiest weight cut of my whole career. I’ve been really happy all week long. I still have a lot of energy.”
Benavidez, who has gained momentum as a fan favorite, believes his increased size, strength, and endurance will serve him well against the former WBC light heavyweight champion Gvozdyk, who also looked in excellent shape at the weigh-in. “I’m going to knock him out, because I’m coming up in weight, I’m extremely strong,” Benavidez proclaimed. “This is gonna be the best fight of my career to date, my best performance to date and I’m gonna shine this Saturday.”
Avoiding the pitfalls that befell Anthony Joshua in his shock loss to Andy Ruiz Jr., Benavidez has maintained laser-like focus on Gvozdyk, dismissing any talk of future opponents. “I don’t think he [Joshua] took that fight seriously. I take every fight 100 per cent serious. I do not mess around with this. I know one bad performance can put you all the way to the back of the bus.”
With the boxing world watching, Benavidez is determined to deliver a statement performance that will keep him firmly on the radar of the sport’s elite, including the likes of Canelo Alvarez. “Every time I go in there, I do my job, I try to do the job to the best of my ability. And sometimes that might scare other fighters away from me, but I don’t care.”
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