David Benavidez to Fight Oleksandr Gvozdyk for Interim Light-Heavyweight Title

David Benavidez confirmed in an Instagram post on Thursday that he'll be moving up to light-heavyweight for his next bout, facing off against Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June.

Benavidez will clash with the former WBC light heavyweight champion for the interim belt and mandatory position for the winner of the bout between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev.

This will be Benavidez's first fight since Nov. 25 and Gvozdyk's first fight since Sep. 30.

Benavidez moved to 28-0 after his win, a victory over Demetrius Andrade in six rounds as he defended his belt. The 27-year-old remained unbeaten, with 24 of his wins occurring via knockout.

Meanwhile, it took just two rounds for Gvozdyk to secure a victory against Isaac Rodrigues in his previous fight. The veteran may not have an unblemished record of his own, although he's 20-1 with 16 knockouts. Gvozdyk initially retired in June 2020 after losing to Beterbiev, although he returned to the sport in 2023. He's won all three of his fights since making his comeback.

Sanctioning of the clash between the two was confirmed by WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman on Thursday in a post on X.

"Very proud to announce a sensational fight which the [WBC] has approved to sanction for the interim light heavyweight championship Benavidez vs Gvozdyk," Sulaiman wrote. "Wish the best of luck for both champions."

While the interim WBC light heavyweight championship is up for grabs, the opportunity to earn a mandatory challenge for the winner of Beterbiev and Bivol's fight is huge. For Benavidez, he'll have a chance to remain unbeaten while transitioning to a new division as Gvozdyk will look to continue his strong return to the sport.