Teddy Atlas, a renowned American boxing coach and commentator, recently expressed his opinion to the media that David Benavídez (29-0, 24 KOs) was too gentlemanly in his recent fight against Oleksandr Gvozdyk (20-2, 16 KOs), not showing a strong intent to knock out Gvozdyk. Atlas had previously trained Gvozdyk and has an understanding of his capabilities.
Teddy Atlas stated, “Before the match, I had my doubts about Gvozdyk, but he wasn’t over-the-hill. In the bout, Gvozdyk fought like he was using paintballs, while Benavídez had the real ammunition. Benavídez performed well for the first 7-8 rounds. Before facing Gvozdyk, Benavídez had never encountered an opponent as tall as him, and this time he was too polite in the ring.”
Former two-division world champion Paul Malignaggi commented, “In his fight against Beterbiev, Gvozdyk was ahead on points before being stopped. Now, Gvozdyk may be a bit older, but outscoring him is no easy task. Benavídez dominated early on. However, in the later rounds, it seemed like a sparring session. Benavídez, with a significant lead, suddenly softened up, allowing Gvozdyk to regain some momentum. Perhaps he ran out of steam, but Gvozdyk still had plenty left in the tank. Not showcasing superhero-like abilities this time, Benavídez will receive criticism, but overall, he performed admirably. If expectations weren’t so high, this would be a major victory for him.”
David Benavídez now plans to return to the super middleweight division and vie for the WBC’s full championship title. Canelo Álvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) is tentatively scheduled to face IBF mandatory challenger William Zepeda (22-0, 9 KOs) on September 14th. The WBC is prepared to strip Álvarez of his belt, which could pave the way for Benavídez to contend for the vacant title.
