Teddy Atlas on David Benavidez vs. Oleksandr Gvozdyk

Teddy Atlas likes everything about David Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs), except his chances of beating Oleksandr Gvozdyk (20-1, 16 KOs) when they meet on June 15 in Las Vegas. 

Benavidez will move up to 175 pounds for the bout. The fight will be for the interim light heavyweight title.

Benavidez had a strong 2023 showing with 2 fights and 2 (WBC) 168-pound (interim) title fight wins. He was hoping that would land him Canelo Álvarez for the super middleweight sweepstakes. When the Canelo fight didn’t come through, Benavidez immediately looked for his next biggest challenge.

And that’s what Atlas likes about Benavidez. He isn’t afraid to test himself against the best out there, he isn’t protecting his “0” and he is a guy who will one day leave the game with a reputation as a fighter who would face anyone.

Alvarez was clear when questioned why he wasn’t facing him. “Benavidez brings nothing but 7 more pounds”, he said. Some passed that off as his right, with him holding the top spot in the sport. Others saw the Benavidez brush off as a way for Canelo to avoid him. Either way, assuming that fight doesn’t ever come off, a win over Gvozdyk could see Benavidez looking at a blockbuster bout against the Artur Beterbiev - Dmitry Bivol winner.

Ukraine’s Gvozdyk was crowned world champ when he beat Adonis Stevenson in 2018.

He announced his retirement in 2020, less than a year after being stopped by bruising puncher Beterbiev who clocks into work with a 100% KO ratio.

I was surprised to see Gvozdyk’s ring return after 3 ½ years away. Does he need the money? Couldn’t make the transition to civilian life? At age 37, sometimes the only thing left to do in boxing is get hurt and I wasn’t sure he should be coming back. 

He has banked 3 wins against predictable opposition. Is this enough to get him ready for a hungry fighter like Benavidez?

Will size make a difference? Benavidez was always a huge super middleweight and for the first time, he won’t be the big guy in the ring. Or, maybe not having to deal with the depleting (last-few-pounds) weight cut will see him enter the ring stronger than ever?

In speaking with Atlas about the fight, I thought that we would be on the same page in that Benavidez was going to handle Gvozdyk and then look for the next big super fight.

Not so fast. 

“I give Benavidez a lot of credit. I’m not sure he knows what he’s biting off here. I might have a better idea having trained Gvozdyk. He’s (Benavidez) a big 168-pounder, where he was a dominant force, where he’s beating everyone. And now he’s gonna go up to a new weight class and take on a very dangerous, qualified, beyond qualified, fighter. A world champion, a bronze medallist from the Olympics, from the same stable as Uzyk and Lomachenko,” said Atlas.

And, while Gvozdyk does have a loss to Beterbiev, (as does all his opponents), Atlas says that loss is also misleading in a fight that Gvozdyk was winning until he hit the wall.

“He (Benavidez) is gonna go up to light heavyweight and take on a guy who has only lost to Beterbiev, who he was beating until he ran out of gas late in the fight. He won’t run out of gas. He’s had a few years to think about it, to form a certain resolve in him,” he said.

And while Atlas is going with Gvozdyk, he has nothing but respect for Benavidez.

“I love Benavidez. He comes from boxing blood lines. He behaves like a fighter; he is a fighter to the core. He faces everyone in front of him. He believes in himself. In the sport he’s a guy that fights a pleasing style, a physical style. He blends it with technique. It’s beyond what he does in the ring. I think it’s a sense of legacy. He truly wants to leave his mark and his legacy on boxing”, said Atlas. “This is why he takes on these challenges. He believes he will beat Gvozdyk and then he’ll look to fight the winner of Bivol and Beterbiev.”

Atlas says that maybe Benavidez isn’t even aware, or cares, of the challenge he has in front of him. And while Benavidez has an admirable fighter’s attitude, it won’t rattle Gvozdyk.

“I don’t know that Benavidez is even aware, or if he cares, of the risk he is taking. He’s going in there with a guy who will give him fits, counter counter-punch him. A guy who can use his legs to get angles and set traps. Gvozdyk isn’t just a guy who has good technique, he is a guy with a mental toughness. People might not realize just how mentally tough and strong Gvozdyk is,” said Atlas.

Certainly, Atlas knows Gvozdyk better than I do. He knows exactly what he can do. He took him to a world title. And I’m (admittedly) sticking with Benavidez on nothing more than a hunch.

Wondering if Atlas (understandably) just has a soft spot for his former fighter. It doesn’t sound like it. That’s not how Atlas operates. He’s speaking from his head, not his heart. 

“Gvozdyk is too fast and too smart, he is elusive and will counter the heck out of him”, said Atlas. “He’ll pick him apart and then back him up late. People will be shocked,” he continued. “I like Benavidez. I like what he represents. I like the way he fights, the way he behaves, he’s not afraid to put that on the line against anybody. I love that”, said Atlas. “But I think he gets beat by Gvozdyk.”