Oleksandr Gvozdyk vs Artur Beterbiev Betting Odds and Prediction

WBC light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk faces IBF light heavyweight kingpin Artur Beterbiev on October 18, 2019 at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This is a highly anticipated clash between two champions who have a combined record of 31-0 with 28 knockouts and the best boxing betting sites have already released the odds for this event. Ukraine’s Gvozdyk and Russia’s Beterbiev are considered the top light heavyweights in boxing today and they are also two of the best knockout artists in the sport. So if you’re looking for an old-fashioned throwdown, this is the fight for you.

Champion vs Champion

Gvozdyk will be making the second defense of the WBC light heavyweight title which he won from long-time champion Adonis Stevenson last October. In that fight, Gvozdyk came from behind to stop Superman in the 11th round. It turned out to be Stevenson’s final fight after he was placed in a medically-induced coma weeks after the fight due to head injuries. The Ukranian has a record of 17-0 with 14 knockouts. In his last bout, Gvozdyk knocked out Doudou Ngumbu in five rounds last March 30th. Now he is looking to win his second belt in this champion versus champion showdown.

Beterbiev is the former Russian amateur star who won the IBF 175-pound title with a 12th round knockout of Enrico Koelling. Beterbiev has a perfect record of 14-0 with 14 knockouts. He preserved that perfect record by stopping Koelling with 27 second left in their fight. This will be Beterbiev’s third defense of his title. His first two title defenses have lasted just a total of nine rounds. In his last bout last May 4, Beterbiev halted Radivoje “Hot Rod“ Kalajdzic in five round.

When it comes to betting history, this is the third time in his last four fights where Gvozdyk has been favored by lesser than -250 . He won the first two instances, knocking out both Isaac Chilemba and Adonis Stevenson. Meanwhile, this is the first time in his professional boxing career where Beterbiev has been a betting underdog. He has never been priced lower than -500 in 14 fights. Beterbiev was -500 when he stopped Kalajdzic in five rounds. Here are the latest betting odds for this boxing match:

The Right Fight At The Right Time

Boxing fans- casual or hardcore have been complaining about the sport not giving them the fights that really need to happen. Promotional differences and fighter preferences have prevented us from seeing most of the fights we want to see. But this one is an exception. We aren’t only getting the fight that we deserve, we are getting the right fight at the right time. In today’s era, that is a rarity but on October 18th, that’s what we’ll have.

These aren’t two popular popular fighters in the mold of Canelo Alvarez or even Terence Crawford. But to those who follow the sport closely, these are two of the best in their division. By facing the most meaningful opponent in the market, the winner of this fight is going to break into the mainstream. The loser, if he delivers a worthy performance as well, looks to be elevated to a higher rank as well.

Gvozdyk and Beterbiev are evenly matched 175 pounders and as the boxing betting odds agree, there is no clear-cut favorite to win this fight. This high-stakes match is of two fighters with the same amount of professional boxing experience, deep amateur boxing background, and unbeaten records. Both are knockout artists and perhaps the only difference between the two is their fighting style.

Different Fighting Styles

Gvozdyk has heavy hands but he is more of a boxer and tactician rather than a brawler. Beterbiev is the opposite because he has made a name for himself because of his brute punching power not his boxing skills although you can’t say that he doesn’t have the latter. This will be Gvozdyk’s second title defense and the third for Beterbiev. Likewise, both men have proven to be vulnerable.

Gvozdyk was knocked down in the first round by Tom Karpency in their 2016 bout. He was hurt and took some punishment against Adonis Stevenson before he stopped the latter in the 11th round. Meanwhile, Beterbiev suffered a second-round knockdown against Callum Johnson in his first title defense last October. Beterbiev rallied to knock out Johnson in the 4th round.

And as if those aren’t enough to make this an interesting fight, don’t forget that these two fighters fought before as amateurs in 2009. Beterbiev won that bout and wants to prove that it was no fluke. Gvozdyk admitted defeat and says he is more motivated than ever to win this fight to even things out. Both men want to be undisputed champion and the first path to that is to beat the other.

Who Wins?

I see Beterbiev charging at Gvozdyk like a pitbull when that opening bell rings. Beterbiev will want to corner Gvozdyk and turn this into a phone booth war. He is going to bull-rush Gvozdyk with his usual flurry of punches and is hoping that Gvozdyk will stand and fight back.

However, Gvozdyk is a tactician and he knows that going toe to toe with Beterbiev will be risky, especially early in the fight. Only one out of Beterbiev’s 14 bours have gone past seven rounds so expect Gvozdyk to fight smart and keep his distance in the first half of the fight. But keeping his distance doesn’t mean he won’t engage because once Gvozdyk smells blood, he is an excellent finisher.

Power for power, these two are a match and because of that, either fighter can win this fight if he lands clean. However, while I think that both will have their moments in this fight, I have serious doubts if Beterbiev can corner Gvozdyk and inflict heavy damage. On the other hand, Gvozdyk’s footwork is going to keep him safe in this fight. I’m not sure if he gets the knockout here but if he stays away from harms way, this is his fight to win. I think Gvozdyk outsmarts Beterbiev in an entertaining and exciting bout. The better boxer wins this one.

PREDICTION: Oleksandr Gvozdyk