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Former WBC world light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk hopes to work his way to a rematch with the division’s unified champion Artur Beterbiev.
The two fighters, both unbeaten at the time, collided back in October in a WBC, IBF unification.
Beterbiev raised his perfect record o 15-0 with all 15 wins by knockout, after he dropped Gvozdyk three times in the tenth round before referee Gary Rosato immediately stopped the fight following the third knockdown.
At the time of the stoppage, Beterbiev was behind on points on two of the three official scorecards.
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Gvozdyk (17-1, 14 KOs) admits he wasn’t fully prepared for the continuous pressure that Beterbiev applied.
“The plan was to keep Beterbiev at the distance, but that did not work out. The preparation was aimed at not letting him hit me. Probably, I was not ready for the pressure that he started putting on me, and when you are pressured something must be done: you either run or you go forward,” Gvozdyk said to Lucky Punch.
Gvozdyk wants to capture another world title at 175-pounds, and then force a unification rematch with Beterbiev. He has little doubt Beterbiev will continue to hold the WBC, IBF titles for some time.
“Would I like to get a rematch? Of course. I will do everything in my power order to get this fight. But I clearly understand that it is out of the question at this moment. Now we need to be as pragmatic as possible. First, we need to restore confidence and get into combat rhythm. My goal is to become a champion of another organization. After that, I could have a unifying fight with Artur. If he keeps the titles, of course. But I think he will because he is world’s strongest light heavyweight fighter at this moment,” Gvozdyk said to Ready To Fight.
The WBO title is currently vacant. The winner of a four man tournament will get that title. And the WBA title is held by Dmitry Bivol.