Beterbiev Stops Gvozdyk in 10, Unifies Light Heavyweight Titles

Artur Beterbiev stopped Oleksandr Gvozdyk in the 10th round of their Light Heavyweight unification bout. It was the first time that undefeated Light Heavyweight title holders would face off; both fighters had long proven that they were worthy of the honor. 

Early in the fight, Gvozdyk was winning a majority of the rounds on volume, focusing on 1-2 combinations, right hand counters, and consistent straight right hands to the body that reddened Beterbiev’s Torso. But even winning the rounds, Beterbiev’s constant pressure and lack of respect for Gvozdyk’s power appeared to be taking a toll on Gvozdyk’s stamina. The middle rounds saw an obvious shift in momentum as Beterbiev’s unorthodox lead uppercuts, body shots, and overhand rights began to land more cleanly, before Gvozdyk was finally dropped three times and stopped in the 10th. 

Fans will now look forward to potential fights with the undefeated WBA Champion Dmitry Bivol and the winner of Sergiy Kovalev vs. Canelo Alvarez. 

The quality of the ESPN broadcast itself varied in quality at times. During the undercard bouts, Joe Tessitore seemed to focus excessively on the presence and out-of-ring episodes of Tyson Fury, and cutaways to updates of other sports were often awkwardly timed, so much so that the viewer might miss whole portions of a live round. But for the main event, the familiar and knowledgeable voice of Max Kellerman was a welcome element to the fight’s introduction, and both Timothy Bradley and Andre Ward provided smart commentary rooted in their elite-level experience.