David Benavidez LightHeavy Debut vs Oleksandr Gvozdyk

Looks to be some fast and furious action this Saturday, June 15th @MGM Grande in Vegas when David Benavidez steps up a division to tangle with former champ Oleksandr Gvozdyk who has been on a well fought comeback trail after taking time off from Boxing. The WBC interim light heavyweight title is the bauble being contested, so things are looking up in the division.

Gvozdyk, 20-1, 16 KO, is in a fine position to be the spoiler what with Canelo Alvarez lurking in the background salivating over the chance to move up to grab the WBC Belt by fighting the winner. In turn, the 27 year old Benavidez, 28-0, 24 KO, currently sowing his prime age oats knows it’s his time to shine like never before with such $umptuous rewards being dangled.

He’s coming off back to back masterclasses over Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade last year. And we also need to remember he won the full WBC Belt at age 20 before he was busted for youthful recreational drugs and thus stripped, so he is definitely a prodigy made good. Good enough to finally attract Canelo’s attention after previous negative responses to a potential Benavidez fight.

However, it was reported that Benavidez appeared drunk in a recent live video interview that may call into question his judgement in the precarious fight game where the slightest slip up can cost a fighter millions of dollars along with a loss of reputation.

Reportedly Gvozdyk has been working with Mexican Cruiserweight Gilberto Ramirez who is currently the WBA and Boxrec #1 Cruiser Champ, so that’s some serious training and commitment by the former undefeated WBC LightHeavy Champ who took time off after getting beat up by the monstrous Artur Beterbiev. His biggest problem is his age, 37, with a lack of quality opponents in his comeback.

Good News Abounds though!!!

The Fickle Fates of The Future have used Ring Magazine “Experts” to unexpectedly bless Gvozdyk before this critical fight by cursing Benavidez with an overwhelming 19-1 vote as their winner…It Happens!!!

40th Year Anniversary of Roberto Duran vs Thomas Hearns

This was a crossroad fight for both fighters moving up from the 147lb Welter division to the 154lb SuperWelter division.

Thomas Hearns was finally fighting in a weight class that suited his height and natural weight and is often mentioned as being the best 154 lb fighter in the world in spite of his short time in the division. Ironically, Roberto Duran was coming off of what most say is his most outstanding fight ever against All Everything Middleweight Champ Marvelous Marvin Hagler who had to put every ounce of his being into winning the last two rounds that won him a razor thin Decision over the mighty Duran. Yet the same Hagler would go on to completely steamroll Tommy when they fought 2 years later.

Insert ye aulden Mantra of styles make fights, but me thinks Marvin was in awe of Duran with a lot of respect for his abilities, and if Marvin had a weakness, it was that he loved to match wits with good boxers and it almost cost him his titles against Duran. With Hearns it was a grudge match with Tommy vowing to knock out Marv that really riled Marv up for one of the most fateful demolitions in Boxing history.

Anyway, as Hearns vs Duran turned out, for inexplicable reasons that later led to several rumors, Duran might as well been a County Fair Punch Dummy. Tommy knocked him down twice in the 1st round before finishing him in the 2nd with one of the most frighteningly concussive right hands in history. Spectators gasped in horror as Duran looked dead to the world, immobile with his face plastered to the canvas.

The good news was with Duran being Duran, he was just fine and getting warmed up for the extended finale of one of the longest and storied careers in boxing history. 

And of course, Tommy being Tommy was just getting warmed up for his long storied career in their shared era, so it was all a good Rock, Paper, Scissors Game of Fate with Duran first beating Ray Leonard, then Leonard beating Hearns, and fianally Hearns beating Duran. 

Valhalla was quite pleased as most boxing fans were with these storied warriors who made their shared era into another Boxing Epic for the Record Books…only in Boxing, Folks…