Is Gvozdyk the best big thing?
Oleksandr Gvozdyk (15-0, 12 KO) is simply another of those typical Ukrainian boxers – very talented with champion potential. Born in Kharkiv, “The Nail” now resides in Oxnard, Calif., and is trained by Robert Garcia.
His strong resume states that he represented Ukraine at the 2009 and 2011 World Championships, was the Universiade world champion in 2008 and 2013, and the Europe Cup winner in 2010. He fought in two seasons of the World Series of Boxing, compiling a 9-0 record. He won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics.
Fighting out of California, he has never faced an opponent with a losing record, and like many Eastern European fighters with outstanding amateur records, he hit the professional road running full speed.
The 6-foot-2-inch light heavyweight combines exceptional speed with deceptive power. He is patient, relaxed, fluid and owns a remarkable jab.
On April 8, 2017, he met the fearsome-looking and muscular Cuban Yunieski Gonzalez at the MGM National Harbor in Maryland. The ripped Gonzalez (18-3, 14 KO) looked like a miniature version of Evander Holyfield, dwarfing his Ukrainian challenger. Gvozdyk proved appearances can be deceiving – in the sport of boxing, muscularity does not always translate into boxing skills and stamina.
The Ukrainian’s super-fast jab stopped Gonzalez from coming in and when the Cuban did get close, Gvozdyk countered with sneakily sharp power punches. Once Gonzalez was hurt, “The Nail” kept peppering him with punches in an effort to close out the bout. His strategy working quite well, the Ukrainian maintained the vicious and bloody onslaught until referee Harvey Dock put an end to the merciless slaughter in the third round at the urging of Gonzalez’s corner.
A fight that was projected to be very competitive proved to be the exact opposite. Gvozdyk’s manager, Egis Klimas, was quoted post-fight as saying, “Oh, my God. I thought that would be the most competitive fight (on the entire night’s card), and it came out the easiest fight.”
After scoring a sixth-round knockout against Craig Baker (17-2, 13 KO) in the co-feature of a boxing card in Lincoln, Neb., on August 19, 2017, Gvozdyk found himself close to a mandatory world title shot, especially taking into account the sudden retirement of undefeated light-heavyweight champion Andre Ward.
Gvozdyk experienced difficulties in finding quality opponents willing to fight him. Baker, 33, coming off a 14-month layoff, accepted the challenge simply to get back into the ring.
Gvozdyk consistently snapped his long left jab at Baker, successfully went to the body, landed right hands, but did not manage many clean power shots. Fortunately for the Ukrainian, Baker landed almost nothing in return.
Gvozdyk broke through in the sixth round with a powerful right to the side of Baker’s head and, after beating the count, Baker was pounded along the ropes, forcing referee Celestino Ruiz to stop the bout at 2:04 seconds.
On March 17 of this year, Gvozdyk claimed a vacant interim light heavyweight world title, spending most of the 12-round fight with Mehdi Amar (34-6-2, 16 KO) of France, “nailing” him with various punch combinations. He won by scores of 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112. By claiming this interim belt he is the mandatory challenger for the winner of the bout between Adonis Stevenson (29-1, 24 KO) of Canada and Badou Jack (22-1-2, 13 KO) of Sweden later in 2018.
As for potential bouts down the road, South Africa’s Isaac Chilemba went the distance with Sergey Kovalev. Tony Bellew could not stop him in two attempts. Chilemba had never been stopped until Gvozdyk did the trick in November, 2016 in Las Vegas, although an alleged hand injury may have contributed to the end result.
Gvozdyk’s latest three victories put him on the short list for big bouts in the exciting and competitive light heavyweight division. It further served notice to Adonis Stevenson, Artur Beterbiev, Nathan Cleverly, Sergey Kovalev and a few others. One must remember WBC titleholder Stevenson’s cautious approach to selecting future opponents.
The 39-year-old Stevenson famously bypassed a fight against challenger Joe Smith Jr. (23-2, 19 KO) of the U.S.A., instead settling for a rematch with Andrze Fonfara (28-3, 17 KO) of Poland. Klimas, who manages Kovalev as well, claimed Stevenson was afraid of a match with Kovalev and would run from Gvozdyk, too. The division is full of many solid boxers, many of whom would like to engage Stevenson, but that feeling doesn’t seem to be mutual.
In the future, a match against Sullivan Barrera, who broke Joe Smith’s jaw in a July 2017 match and then defeated Felix Valera in November 2017, could make sense for Gvozdyk, but not for Barrera, who may feel he’s up for a chance at one of the division’s titles.
Beterbiev (12-0, 12 KO), who averages less than three rounds per fight with a KO average of 100 percent, has never fought professionally in Russia, while the English-speaking Gvozdyk has never fought in Ukraine. A Russian who lives in Canada versus a Ukrainian who lives in California could be a promoter’s dream and could also be billed as a “Battle of the Ex-patriots.”
Eleider “Storm” Alvarez (23-0, 11 KO) holds victories over Jean Pascal, Chilemba and Lucien Bute. A Columbian who resides in Canada, Alvarez was expected to challenge Stevenson, but could also be a perfect candidate for The Nail. Alvarez is quite competent, yet still considered safe for Gvozdyk – safer than Beterbiev.
Currently Gvozdyk is ranked second by the IBF, third by the WBA, second by the WBC and No. 1 by the WBO, whose belt was recently won by Kovalev. Of interest is the fact that Gvozdyk and Kovalev share the same manager (Egis Klimas), but have different promoters.
It is no small feat to steal a boxing show from Vasyl Lomachenko, especially when he is starring in one of his clinics as he did against outmatched Jason Sosa. The Nail accomplished exactly that on April 8 with his quick but dazzling displays of skill and power, only to follow up with his dominant knockout of Baker. Whether or not he becomes the next big thing will depend on who and how he fights in his next match. If it turns out to be Beterbiev or Kovalev, and if Gvozdyk is victorious, the answer to the headline atop this article will be a resounding “Yes!”
Kuchar on course for major win
He keeps his bronze medal in a sock in a backpack. It is an heirloom that will be passed down to his sons. His third-place finish in the 2016 Olympics is a significant personal victory for golfer Matt Kuchar. It is something he will treasure forever. Competing as an Olympian, the sense of pride was easily recognizable on the medal platform with fellow medalists Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson in Rio de Janeiro in August of 2016. At Royal Birkdale, Kuchar could not hold back the tears.
Last year, the return trip home to the U.S. with his second-place finish at the 2017 British Open Championship did not quite have the same feel.
He began tearing up when he saw his wife, Sybi, and sons Carson and Cameron. The family took a red-eye flight from their vacation in Colorado to England as a surprise. Seeing his sons’ sadness in the misty rain made Kuchar break down a bit in the scorer’s tent. He was overheard describing his hurt as “crushing.”
“When your kids are young, they look up to you like you’re Superman,” Kuchar said a few days later at a press conference at the RBC Canadian Open. “Kind of you’re their hero. You’re the one to protect them and save them and do great things. And when it doesn’t work out, and you aren’t the hero holding the trophy, it’s saddening as well. I saw the look in their eyes, and I wanted to be that guy. So I was a little bit broken myself that I wasn’t that guy.”
Kuchar did not return home with the claret jug (the prize given to the British Open winner), didn’t win his first major tournament and will not be referred to as golfer of the year after losing a battle to current golf Superman, Jordan Spieth. He did, however, earn much more respect from his peers in the sport, and much admiration from those who saw him play and then handle the loss. After all, Spieth’s performance on the back nine was instantly labeled one of the greatest in major championship history.
Spieth himself reiterated his certainty that Kuchar will win a major championship. He even predicted it would happen relatively soon. He referred to the Ukrainian as a great champion, a great person and a role model. Spieth called him “one of these guys when I talk about having a great role model on the PGA Tour, he’s at the top of the class.” A perfect example was the dignity and class with which Kuchar handled his crazy last day at the British Open.
The ending made Kuchar reflect back on his playoff loss to Matt Jones in the 2014 Shell Houston Open when Kuchar bogeyed the 72nd hole, only to have Jones make a 46-footer on the final green in regulation to tie, and then win with an incredible chip shot. The life lesson was to do your best, play your best, try on every shot – sometimes it falls your way and sometimes it does not. These things happen.
Although now experienced in a few devastating second-place finishes, Kuchar has also won his share of big events. His seven career victories include wins at the Players, Memorial Tournament, WGC Match Play and a FedEx Cup playoff event. He also captured a U.S. Amateur title. (It is very easy to list Kuchar as one of the tour’s better players without a major win. It is important to add that the third and fourth rounds at Birkdale were only the third and fourth times he played in the final group of a major on the weekend.)
June 2017 had him turning 39 years old, and in his 17th year on the PGA Tour, Kuchar is convinced he should have won more than he has up to now. He does rank 13th in all-time career winnings with over $40 million. (He earned $1,000,067 for his second-place finish in England.) The British Open was his 90th top-10 all-time, but only nine of those have come in majors, two in 2017 after tying for fourth at the Masters. He is 0-for-47 in majors and hasn’t been victorious on the tour since 2014.
Instead of sulking over his near miss, Kuchar kept to his routine. He moved on, honoring his commitment to play in the tour’s next stop at Glen Abbey, an event he could not afford to miss as he is sponsored by RBC.
More big events lie ahead with the PGA Championship and the FedEx Cup playoffs looming big on the horizon. His family and friends were quick to remind Kuchar of the many positives to take from the near miss at Birkdale. He tried to look at the situation like Superman would, the way a bronze medalist would react. He tried to stay positive.
“There are such great lessons that come from golf,” he conceded. “You know, this was one of them.”
New U.S. Ryder captain Furyk
a popular choice
Stewart Cink is eternally thankful he played his first Ryder Cup match in 2002 partnered with Jim Furyk. Curtis Strange paired the two men in a 2002 afternoon foursomes match, and after a few practice rounds together, they had developed a strategy where Cink would hit tee shots on odd-numbered holes and Furyk on the even. However, 15 minutes before their match, Cink asked Furyk to take the team’s first swing.
It seems Cink was in a panic because his first ever shot in the Ryder Cup was going to be on the first tee. Furyk readily agreed to boldly go first, stepped up and hit the perfect tee shot. The duo went on to get the point and Cink was 1-0 in his first Ryder Cup.
Cink and Furyk defeated Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley, 3 and 2. The experience for Cink was instructive. He was impressed that Furyk never flinched, adjusted and did what he needed to do. It’s an example of the type of coolness required for the role of Ryder Cup captain.
A nine-time competitor for the United States, second only to Phil Mickelson, Furyk was introduced in early January 2017 as the next man to lead America in the biennial matches when the 42nd Ryder Cup is played in Paris on September 25-30. In addition to his vast playing experience (10-20-4 in his career), Furyk was an assistant to Davis Love III when the U.S. reclaimed the Ryder Cup last fall. He also served as a vice-captain for Jay Haas in America’s 2015 Presidents Cup victory in South Korea, where Furyk qualified, but was out with a wrist injury.
It was hardly a surprise Furyk was selected since he is well respected as a captain-type in the locker room, as a player with experience, knowledge and wisdom – characteristics of a leader. He’s been approached for strategy tips, and is very thorough and tough out on the golf course.
Speaking of which, word is Furyk, 46, should play if he earns one of the eight automatic berths from the U.S. points list. The last playing captain was fellow Pennsylvania native Arnold Palmer in 1963 in Atlanta, where he went 3-1 in pairs and 1-1 in singles.
Described as passionate with a fervent desire to win, Furyk is intelligent and realizes the tremendous responsibility he’s undertaking just to be captain, let alone play.
Perhaps Cink said it best when speaking of partner Furyk: “He’s a great representative for golf and for the United States. He’s the quintessential captain in my opinion.” (Source: January 2017 Golf Digest)
Ihor Stelmach may be reached at [email protected].