Adonis Stevenson vs Oleksandr Gvozdyk Preview Dec. 1st
Haitian-born Quebecer Adonis “Superman” Stevenson will be defending his WBC Light Heavyweight Title against unbeaten Oleksandr Gvozdyk of Ukraine at the Centre Videotron in Quebec City this Saturday December 1st. The 12 round bout is a mandatory defence for Stevenson and it will be aired in the USA on Showtime. Stevenson’s last fight was a majority draw with Badou Jack in May while Gvozdyk last saw action in when he beat Mehdi Amar by 12-round unanimous decision for the interim WBC crown.
Stevenson vs Gvozdyk Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Adonis Stevenson +150
- Oleksandr Gvozdyk -170
My Pick
Stevenson’s now 41 years old and will climb into the ring with an impressive record of 29-1-1 along with 24 Kos and has put together a 17-fight unbeaten streak. The southpaw is regarded as one of the sport’s hardest hitters with a current knockout ratio of 77 per cent. This will be Stevenson’s 10th title defence and he also owns the linear light heavyweight crown. He’s not invincible though as he was knocked out by Darnell Boone in the second round back in April of 2010 in his only defeat. Stevenson stands 5-feet-11-inches tall and has a 77-inch wingspan.
He turned pro back in 2006 and has 143 rounds under his belt since then. He’s been heavily criticized for ducking the top light heavyweights around and will arguably be facing his toughest opponent to date in Gvozdyk. Stevenson’s biggest career wins have come against Chad Dawson for the title in 2013, Anrzej Fonfara (twice) as well as Derek Edwards, Tavoris Cloud, Jesus Gonzalez, Aaron Pryor Jr., Tony Bellew, Dmitry Sukhotsky, Sakio Bika and Tommy Karpency. He also stopped Darnell Boone in their rematch to avenge his only defeat.
Actually, when you look at Stevenson’s list of opponents it contains some pretty impressive boxers. But he usually doesn’t fight the top guns unless it’s a mandatory defence. This fight is mandatory since Gvozdyk is the top-ranked challenger and was also the WBC’s interim champion. Fans were hoping for a rematch with Jack and perhaps they’ll get to see it if Stevenson manages to get past Gvozdyk this Saturday night.
The 31-year-old Gvozdyk enters the ring with a perfect mark of 15-0 along with 12 Kos. He stands 6-feet-2-inches tall and has a reach of 75.5 inches. He’s three inches taller than Stevenson, but gives up two inches in reach. He’s now fighting out of Oxnard, California and has just 72 rounds under his belt since turning pro in 2014. The Ukrainian isn’t really known as a power puncher, but you’d never know it since his knockout ratio currently stands at a very impressive 80 per cent. His biggest wins have been against Tommy Karpency, Otis Griffin, Yunieski Gonzalez, Nadjib Mohammedi and Isaac Chilemba.
Gvozdyk won the bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England, is a three-time Ukrainian amateur national champion and also fought in the World and European championships as well as in the world series of boxing. He has a lot of potential, but has yet to face a legitimate contender or world champion, so he’s stepping up in class here. Gvozdyk has also captured the NABF, and WBO NABO Light Heavyweight Titles since turning pro. His chin is relatively solid, but Karpency dropped him in the first round in 2016.
Prediction…
This is another tough call. Both boxers have plenty of power along with questionable chins. Also, Gvozdyk and Stevenson seem to perform better when taking on top opponents, so hopefully they’ll bring the best out of each other in this clash. Stevenson’s reign as a champion will come to an end soon and since Gvozdyk is 10 years younger it could be this Saturday night. He’s going to need a solid chin though and has to make sure he jumps all over Stevenson if he rocks him. I’ll go with Gvozdyk here.
I think Stevenson’s reign will come to an end.
Play: Gvozdyk -170 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Adonis Stevenson betting • Oleksandr Gvozdyk betting