Anthony David Benavídez vs. Oleksandr Serhiyovych Gvozdyk

Here's a measuring stick if you need one to tell us right around where current Gvozdyk is. On the Lomachenko-Kambosos undercard, Imam Khataev, who is seen as the new divisional boogeyman and Beterbiev like killing machine, because no opponent had made it out of round 3 against him. Bolotniks just took him 6 rounds before finally succumbing. Now, this was with Khataev throwing nothing but fastballs bringing relentless pressure, battering him with body shots all three minutes of every round, gunning for the stoppage with all his might. He finally got the stoppage but by bashing his kidney in. Gvozdyk put no effort whatsoever into the first 5 rounds against Bolotniks, seemed as if he was going through the motions just getting rounds in. Then like a machine, when he wanted to stoppage, he went out, turned it on like a man possessed and got it... basically tearing his face off in the 6th round as well, dropping him and stopping him with the greatest of ease and with headshots.

Now sure, Benavidez won't have to drain himself to make weight anymore, so he arguably might be stronger and hit harder at 175. Or the reverse may end up being true. Now take into consideration that in spite of teeing off on Plant for 12 rounds straight, furiously looking for the KO, he couldn't get in. When Canelo putting forth very little effort, walked down, beat down and stopped Plant pretty viciously, which gives an indication that there's a possibility that Benavidez doesn't hit quite as hard as Canelo. Which is a bit of a concern, considering Canelo hasn't been able to stop anyone since, including a blown up Light Middleweight in Charlo. Well, you could say it's a one off bad performance. But wait... Benavidez battered the notoriously chinny Andrade for 6 rounds, before getting a mercy stoppage. He also teed off on Ellis for 11 and Angulo for 10. So it's pretty obvious that David does not have one punch KO power and never has, he's an accumulation puncher who grinds his opponents down.

So, now moving up to 175, I highly doubt anything is going to miraculously change. So in all likelihood, David will stand right in front of The Nail, throwing and landing combinations, just like Beterbiev did. But what if Gvozdyk simply isn't even remotely phased by his power? Also, let us not forget, David is not all that hard to hit clean, Gavril landed and landed aplenty, and Gvozdyk will be the best pure boxer and most accurate puncher Benavidez has ever shared the ring with. So Gvozdyk will be nailing him repeatedly with very clean, increasingly violent straight rights, right down the middle, like a laser guided missile, sitting down on most of them. Benavidez is no Beterbiev in the power department, and as we've seen from his comeback matches, The Nail still hits like a Mack Truck. So... it might come down to a case of, who is the more durable of the two, and since we've never seen Benavidez take the power of a light hitting Light Heavyweight, he better have weapons grade adamantium in his mandible to be able to stand up to the staggering amount of flush head shots he's probably going to have to endure, from one of the biggest punchers in that division and I don't think he I can. This will be a repeat of Ioka vs. Tanaka. Gvozdyk KO5.