By Geno McGahee
The IBF and WBC Light Heavyweight Titles were unified as Artur Beterbiev, 15-0, 15 KO’s, stopped Oleksandr Gvozdyk, 17-1, 14 KO’s, in the tenth round.
In the first round, Gvozdyk out-boxed the slower Beterbiev but slipped at the very end. Initially called a knockdown, the call was overturned with instant replay, but it seemed to be on the mind of Gvozdyk. His trainer, Teddy Atlas, did what he could to keep his fighter focused.
As the rounds went on, it was a race against time. Gvozdyk was winning the right with his boxing skills, but the storm was building. Beterbiev was hunting him down and Gvozdyk was running out of gas. In the tenth round, Beterbiev would finally catch him and drop him three times, convincing the referee to stop the fight.
Beterbiev now holds the IBF and WBC light heavyweight titles.
