The bout between WBC light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk (17-0, 14 KOs) and IBF belt holder Arthur Beterbiev (14-0, 14 KOs) has been officially confirmed. The fight will take placce on October 18 and will become the main event of the evening in Philadelphia at Liacouras Center arena. The evening of boxing will take place on ESPN and ESPN Deportes.
34-year-old Beterbiev, who a few weeks ago announced that he has signed a contract for the fight last time fought in May, winning by knockout over Radivoje Kalajdzic. The Russian holds the IBF belt since November 2017.
Gvozdyk in his last professional fight defeated Doudou Ngumbu. The Ukrainian holds WBC title since last December.
“This could very well be the fight of the year,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “These are two evenly matched, undefeated light heavyweight champions. There is nothing better in the sport of boxing.”
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“My first goal was to win a light heavyweight world title. Now, I want to unify the belts, and that mission starts with Artur Beterbiev,” Gvozdyk said. “This is going to be a spectacular fight, one that the fans will enjoy. The fans asked for this fight, and we will deliver. One thing I know is that I will be the unified champion. I have the best trainer, Teddy Atlas, in my corner. This is our third fight together, and under his guidance, I will continue to get better.”
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“I wish to thank Top Rank and my opponent, Oleksandr Gvozdyk, for making this unification bout possible and giving the fans around the world what they want,” Beterbiev said. “This will be a great fight between the two champions who aspire to become the undisputed light heavyweight world champion. I am looking forward to stepping into the ring on October 18.”
