Gvozdyk – Rodriguez. An ideal evening for a Ukrainian to remind himself

Saul Alvarez vs. Jermell CharloYordenis Ugas vs. Mario Barrios, Frank Sanchez vs Scott Alexander. In such company, the former WBC light heavyweight champion Alexander Gvozdyk will fight against Brazilian Isaac Rodriguez. The Ukrainian’s opponent can hardly be called even a top fighter, but Gvozdyk got the opportunity to make his presence known in a show that will be watched by the whole world. And Ukrainians should take full advantage of this chance.

For Gvozdyk, the upcoming fight is the third this year and the third after three and a half years of inactivity. Alexander won the previous two confidently and with class. With Joseu Obando again felt the ring and the atmosphere/rhythm of fights, not sparring. With Richard Bolotniks I had the opportunity to remember the rhythm, the exchange of blows and the joy of an early victory. The third opponent of the Ukrainian was supposed to be Andre Dirrell, who was once part of the super middleweight elite and fought for the championship title, and who briefly held the interim IBF belt (before the rematch with Jose Uzetegui).

However, the latter decided to retire, and on short notice the Brazilian Isaac Rodriguez, a 38-year-old Brazilian with a good track record (28-4, 22 KOs), but who is in the second hundred of ratings, will enter the ring against Gvozdyk. But here, as they say, there are no complaints – we had to choose from those who agreed to the proposed conditions and were ready to enter the ring.

Rodriguez’s track record should not be misleading. For example, he also had a downtime of 2.5 years, and of his last four opponents, one had a negative record, the second had only 4 fights in the professional ring.

With all due respect to Rodriguez, he is significantly lower in class than Gvozdyk. Yes, 22 knockouts indicate strength in the fists, but, as you know, you still need to hit with a strong blow. But the strength of the chin – 3 knockouts in four lost fights, one from a fighter with a record of 12-9 – raises questions about the strength of the chin.

Isaac is inferior to Gvozdik not only in anthropometry (minus 12 centimeters in height, 5 centimeters in arm span), but also in tactical training and boxing literacy. Yes, you can expect powerful pressure from Rodriguez, attempts to break into close range in order to deliver his blow. But the whole question is: how long will Isaac be enough and how will Gvozdyk be ready for this? We are afraid to jinx it, but it seems that the Brazilian’s activity will not last too long: the Ukrainian’s classic boxing should do its job.

And Gvozdyk himself is obliged to give a brilliant fight. There may not be a better opportunity to make a name for yourself and get a big fight in the near future. And given the age of the Ukrainian, the time factor in terms of reaching the title fight should be alarming.