QUEBEC CITY (November 30, 2018) – Boxing’s longest reigning world champion, Adonis Stevenson, and undefeated, mandatory challenger Oleksandr Gvozdyk made weight Friday just one day ahead of Stevenson’s 10th defense of his WBC Light Heavyweight Title in a SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION telecast Saturday, December 1 from Videotron Center in Quebec City.
SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION will air live on SHOWTIME and stream for free on the SHO Sports YouTube channel and the SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook Page beginning at 7:45 p.m. ET/4:45 p.m. PT, immediately preceding the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury SHOWTIME PPV. Wilder vs. Fury begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and also features unified 154-pound world champion Jarrett Hurd returning to take on Jason Welborn, Cuban heavyweight slugger Luis Ortiz facing off against Travis Kauffman and rising heavyweight Joe Joyce battling Joe Hanks.
FINAL WEIGHTS
WBC Light Heavyweight World Championship Bout – 12 Rounds
Adonis Stevenson – 174 ¼ pounds
Oleksandr Gvozdyk – 174 ½ pounds
Referee: Michael Griffin (Canada); Judges: Guido Cavalleri (Italy), Mike Ross (USA), Jack Woodburn (Canada)
FLASH QUOTES:
ADONIS STEVENSON:
“I know that Gvozdyk is a good boxer, he was a bronze medalist at the Olympics and he has a European style. His movement is good and he has good technique but there are definitely weaknesses that I plan to exploit.
“I don’t care at all that the bookmakers think I’m going to lose this fight. I’ve been the champion since 2013 and so many people have doubted me in all of my defenses. If I let that affect me, I would have lost my belt a long time ago.
“I’m very hungry. I want to win this fight by knockout. My hometown fans don’t come here to watch me fight 12 rounds, they want to see a body on the canvas. They’re always looking for the knockout and so am I. I know that all I have to do is touch him once and it’s check mate.”
OLEKSANDR GVOZDYK:
“I believe I’m ready physically to do what I have to do. I have to be quicker, smarter, more concentrated and always one step ahead of Stevenson. His left hand is the stronger one but I can’t forget about his right hand either.
“Working with Teddy [Atlas] has been a great experience. He’s been a mentor for me. He’s a very demanding guy who won’t let me get away with a single mistake. That’s exactly what I need. He can help me tactically and even physically, we rebuilt our regular training pattern and I believe it will pay off.
“Despite Stevenson’s age, he’s still a very strong fighter. I know what he’s going to try to do. Like he said at the press conference, he’s going to wait for me to make a mistake to try to catch me. I have to be patient and 100 percent concentrated the entire fight. No blinking.”