Yes . . .
This would easily have to be the fight I have looked forward to the most over the last 5 years.
I doubt it would have happened so soon if they weren’t tied to the same promoter and that same promoter wasn’t under the commercial pressure to deliver competitive/compelling fights that he is; including from rivals like PBC and GBP.
Years ago (even if 2 similarly talented/weighted top ranked fighters were in his stable) Top Rank would have probably milked a matchup like this for several years; before risking the reputation (and therefore the earning capacity) of 1 of the fighters.
As it stands right now; both Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Artur Beterbiev are relatively new Top Rank investments.
Furthermore, at least one of them stands to possibly be one of the best fighters Arum has ever promoted.
To the best of my knowledge, Top Rank now promotes Lomachenko, Gvozdyk, and also Beterbiev.
Not bad.
Gvozdyk is a superb mid to long distance (in terms of rounds) fighter.
Beterbiev is about as ruthlessly efficient and precise as any fighter (whom deliberately - but calculatedly - dismisses defence) can be.
Oleksandr Gvozdyk’s key (championship level) vulnerability (if there is one) is that his power can not be said to completely offset the deficiencies in his defence, and that his punch resistance - at this level of competition - is not as well established as I would like it to be against a guy like Beterbiev.
. To explain . . .
Loma makes few defensive mistakes (there are some) and is almost superlative in that respect. Furthermore, his power is - if not slightly above it - then average. Even though that means he could benefit from greater power (what fighter couldn’t) it also means he doesn’t get hit an awful lot when implementing a plan and/or making mistakes. Basically, he seeks to psychologically defeat, humiliate, and outclass his opponent before safely moving in for the kill; if the fight doesn’t go the distance.
Aside from how their skillsets varies; it’s pretty much the same safety first and clever fighting style that Floyd adopted, where you use all your defensive and offensive skills to your best advantage and don’t take unnecessary risks.
Neither Oleksandr Gvozdyk and/or (particularly) Artur Beterbiev believe in employing that style/approach for the entire 12 rounds.
Even though it is not outside their abilities; both simply can't and/or won’t do it.
They both love punching too much.
Beterbiev not only, passionately loves punching - but also, he has (time and time again) proven to himself that there is real value of taking certain amounts of defensive risks if it means you can hit your target unexpectedly hard.
Furthermore, he knows that - provided his opponent doesn’t present any risk in the power department that is too far beyond what a fresh Callum Johnson, Oleksandr Usyk, and most Olympic heavyweights can muster - his own punch resistance and outstanding amateur pedigree (including competing at the top levels of heavyweight) will usually come to the rescue in almost every professional light heavyweight contest he finds himself (in deepwater) in.
Therefore Artur Beterbiev, on the other hand, looks to hit hard and commit almost every time, and is not only, prepared to accept the risk involved in that strategy - but also, he understands it can be (to some extent) offset with his experience/attributes, including power and punch resistance.
He is a monster and we still haven’t seen the best of him.
That said;
. . 1) It will be scintillating to see whether;
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A) Oleksandr can hold up to the onslaught of what Beterbiev will ensure the first 7 or 8 rounds present; such that Gvozdyk is still in good stead for the championship stanzas. Chances are, Gvozdyk is going to get hit harder and perhaps more often than what he has ever been in any of his previous professional contests.
B) Provided the fight goes beyond 8 rounds; Beterbiev can maintain the same powerful, aggressive, and extreme pressure style throughout the championship rounds with a fighter of Oleksandr Gvozdyk’s ilk; whom, if he doesn’t already have it (and to a great extent he does), will certainly develop a new found understanding of the importance of defence/movement.
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2) Notwithstanding the caveat the above point “B” represents and the impact of past (but still relatively recent) promotional (and therefore competition-continuity) issues for Beterbiev;
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- If the fight goes to rounds 8 and/or 9, I see it unfolding (in terms of how uncomfortable and/or pressed Oleksandr looks/feels) similarly to how Oleksandr Gvozdyk performed against Mehdi Amar.
- Artur Beterbiev is definitely the better equipped competitor.
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Cheers,
Storm.
