Gvozdyk: "We need to win convincingly against Bolotniks"

Alexander Gvozdyk eager to continue the next phase of his career. Gvozdik will meet Rickards Bolotniks this coming Saturday at Akron Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico. The 10-round light heavyweight bout will be part of the undercard of Canelo Alvarez vs. John Ryder, which will take place on DAZN pay-per-view with the main event kicking off at 6 a.m. CET.

On the eve of their fight, Gvozdyk and Bolotniks showed the same mark on the scales at 174.8 pounds (79.29 kg).

The 36-year-old Gvozdyk (18-1, 14 KOs), who now resides in Camarillo, California, returned to the ring on February 11, defeating Josue Obando in a six-round one-sided decision. The victory over Obando was Gvozdik's first fight since losing to Artur Beterbiev in a unification fight for two world titles in October 2019.

Bolotniks (19-6-1, 8 KOs), who has won eight of his last nine fights, lives in Riga, Latvia. He lost his only fight of those nine by knockout to Joshua Buatsi in August 2021.

Despite the fact that Gvozdyk is the favorite, he understands that Bolotniks was a more active fighter, since he has fought five times since Gvozdyk's defeat by Beterbiev.

"He's a quality fighter," Gvozdyk told BoxingScene earlier this week. — Usually he is in uniform and he is a good fighter. I know that he will try to put pressure on me. The main thing is to win, and to do it impressively. I'm ready for whatever he can bring and I'm ready to put on a good fight on Saturday."

“I am very happy about the upcoming fight on such a big evening. This is a great opportunity for me. I am still capable of much. Let's see. Now I want to show myself well and win, and only then we can sit down and talk about what will happen next, ”Gvozdyk added.