Gvozdyk debuts in Zuffa Boxing. This conflicts with his previous plans

Gvozdyk was going to fight for the cruiserweight belt. Now among his desires is the conquest of the Zuffa Boxing belt Zuffa Boxing is a boxing promotion headed by UFC Chairman Dana White. They prefer to build a system similar to what they did in mixed martial arts, where the promotions are effectively the sanctioning bodies that boxing is like the WBA, WBC, WBO, IBF and a number of other organizations.

And this is where the first conflict of interest arises for Ukrainian former world champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk. In 2025, he announced his desire to fight for the cruiserweight championship belt. He previously held the light heavyweight title when he knocked out Adonis Stevenson, taking the belt from the Canadian. Subsequently, he also performed in this division for a long time.

After returning from his first retirement, Gvozdyk continued to be a light heavyweight. Navi got a matchup against David Benavidez when he moved up to a new division. However, he was unable to take advantage of it – he lost to the Mexican unequivocally, without using what he does best: a heavy blow, power shots, the weight of which even Oleksandr Usyk said.

Having boxed in his old division, Gvozdyk decided to switch to cruiserweight. Still, the path to the light heavyweight championship is somewhat difficult – there Benavides is fighting for the belt, and in general there are many factors that do not contribute to victories. The same Russians who are helped by Turki Al al-Sheikh to organize the battles.

Cruiserweight has always not been a very competitive weight class, with a few exceptions. However, they related to certain historical periods for the category, and were not a stable indicator. In addition, Gvozdyk is one of the most frequent sparring partners of Hilberto Ramirez, who holds two titles in this weight. And in general, it becomes more difficult to lose kilograms over the years.

Oleksandr even had one fight in the new division. During it, the Ukrainian did not experience any particular problems with his opponent, won early and should be moving towards big changes. However, what will happen now is not clear.

Gvozdyk will fight in Zuffa Boxing in the light heavyweight division. This is a promotion that wants to sanction fights for their belts in their weight classes. However, for this they need changes in US legislation, which have not yet been adopted.

At the same time, Gvozdyk himself says that he is ready to fight for the Zuffa Boxing belt. In a comment for the Boxing Federation of Ukraine, he said that he can go to a title fight even in the near future if he wins against Kalajdzic. However, so far such confrontations are not planned due to the legislative framework. And he does not know how long it will take.

Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine. Oleksandr Gvozdyk However, it is still too early to think about all this. We should go through the match against Kalajdzic and return to the question of a possible championship. The opponent is young, large and may prove to be difficult.

It cannot be said that Radivoye has something that Gvozdyk has not encountered in his career. He is a boxer with a fairly strong punch, but not one that can take out anyone and everyone – not Beterbiev. He is big – even taller than Oleksandr. However, Gvozdyk himself is quite a big guy. Therefore, it cannot be said that there is a big problem here.

Kalajdzic can be uncomfortable working from a distance, yes. You still have to catch up with him, because the guy can throw a few punches and break the distance. So steal rounds until you make a mistake and get hit. And if you don’t run into it, it’s not scary, because the rounds have already been lost. However, Gvozdyk is not some guy from the street. He understands how to box against such opponents.

Radivoye also has good names in the record. The same David Morrell was never able to knock him out – he won only by the judges’ decision. Sullivan Barrera was knocked out by Kalajdzic, but it was already the wrong Cuban. Beterbiev was also in the record, but he won by knockout in the first half of the meeting. That is, there is enough experience, and this is definitely not a passing opponent.

Who is the bookies’ favorite? Oleksandr Gvozdyk’s victory in this confrontation can be bet with a coefficient of 1.19. Radivoje Kalajdzic to win – with a coefficient of as much as 4.30. A big difference, for sure.

The main argument against Kalajdzic is that he has lost all his top matches. Sullivan Barrera is good, but he’s a boxer long gone by the time they meet. All other top opponents either knocked out Radivoye or won by judges’ decision.

Gvozdyk is the top of the division. For all the attitude towards him due to defeats by Beterbiev and Benavides. The attitude, perhaps, is also fair – both times Oleksandr did not give his best. However, on the right day for him, the Ukrainian can defeat even the top opponent. He even beat the Canadian Russian on the judges’ notes, among other things.

A carnation is always in shape. He trains all the time, supports himself, and at the age of 37, he is in such a shape that younger boxers would envy. His shot is spot on, even if it got a little worse with speed. That is, a fighter of Kalajdzic’s level should pass confidently, if with problems.

And then the question is relevant. Fight exclusively at Zuffa Boxing while waiting for their belt. Try to fight for the title in the classic cruiserweight? It is there that Benavides plans to climb. And Zuffa Boxing boxer Jay Opetaya is in attendance. Dangerous, but possibly interesting.

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