Oleksandr Hwozdyk
Date of birth: 15.04.1987
Oleksandr Serhiyovych Hwozdyk is a professional boxer competing in the light heavyweight category (175 lb, 79.4 kg). Bronze medalist of the Olympic Games (2012), champion of the Universiade (2013) in the category up to 81 kg. NABF light heavyweight champion (2016-present). WBC world champion (2018-2019). Honored Master of Sports of Ukraine.
Place of birth. Education. He was born on April 15, 1987, in Kharkiv. He graduated from the H. S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University. He is currently studying at the Yaroslav Mudry National Law University.
His father introduced Oleksandr to sports. He began his sports career in the 5th grade, learning kickboxing. But after 4 months of kickboxing training, he switched to boxing and immediately won his first fight. At the age of 10, he started attending boxing classes at the 'Metalist' sports club, where his first coach was Oleksandr Volodchenko.
Sports career. In 2008, Oleksandr Hwozdyk achieved his first significant achievement, becoming the world champion among students.
Since 2009, he has been the leader of Ukrainian boxers in his weight category, allowing him to win gold medals year after year in the national championships. In 2010, Hwozdyk took first place at the European Boxing Cup.
He participated in two world championships in 2009 and 2011, where he did not win any medals. In 2009 in Milan, he lost to the German Rene Krauze only in terms of punches (having the same number of points). At the 2011 championships, he defeated three boxers in the early rounds and then lost in the quarterfinals to the Russian Yegor Mechontsev.
Having received a license to participate in the Olympic Games in London, he reached the semifinals in his weight category. In the semifinals, he controversially lost to the future two-time gold medalist from Kazakhstan, Adylbek Niyazymbetov.
Olympic Games 2012. At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Hwozdyk, starting from the 1/16 finals, consecutively defeated Mikhail Dovholets from Belarus, Nicaraguan representative Osmar Bravo Amador, and Algerian Abdelhafid Benchabla. In the semifinals, Hwozdyk lost to the Kazakhstani boxer Adylbek Niyazymbetov, to whom he lost only by the judges' decision, having the same number of points as his rival. Ultimately, Oleksandr Hwozdyk had to settle for only a bronze medal at the Olympic Games.
Universiade 2013. At the 2013 Summer Universiade held in Kazan, Oleksandr represented Ukraine in boxing in the weight category up to 81 kg and won the gold medal.
In the round of 16, the Ukrainian defeated the Estonian Ainar Carlsson 3: 0. In the quarterfinals, he defeated the Korean Kim Hyong-Kyu with a score of 2: 1. In the semifinals, he faced Belarusian Mikhail Daugiauletz, whom he beat with a score of - 3: 0. He won the gold medal without a fight - due to the injury of the Russian Dmitry Bivol, the fight did not take place.
World Series of Boxing. He participated in the second season of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) from 2011 to 2012, fighting for the Russian team 'Dynamo Moscow'. He played four fights and won them all.
In 2012, after the Olympic Games, he joined the newly formed Ukrainian team 'Ukrainian Atamans' and took part in the third season of the Professional Boxing League. On January 11, 2013, Hwozdyk's fight took place in the third season. Oleksandr confidently won on points against his opponent in a qualifying match between the 'Ukrainian Atamans' team and the 'British Lions Heart' team from Great Britain. On February 8, he defeated Lithuanian Vitalijus Sibasius, fighting for the Italian team 'Italian Storm'. In the semifinals, in a heavy match, he defeated Algerian Abdelhafid Benchabla. In the final, he knocked out the boxer from Iran, Ehsan Ruzbahan.
Professional career. In February 2014, he went to the USA and signed a contract with the Top Rank promotional company, with which Vasyl Lomachenko had started cooperating a year earlier.
On April 12, 2014, Hwozdyk fought his debut fight among professional boxers in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the preliminary bouts of the Pacquiao - Bradley fight.
On April 9, 2016, he knocked out former world title challenger Nadjib Mohammedi in the 2nd round.
On July 23, 2016, he knocked out former world title challenger Tommy Karpency in the 6th round.
On November 19, 2016, he defeated former world title challenger Isaac Chilemba from Malawi. Hwozdyk was more active and accurate than his rival. After the 8th round, Chilemba refused to continue the fight, citing a broken hand.
On March 17, 2018, he faced Frenchman Mehdi Amar in a fight for the vacant WBC interim world title in the light heavyweight category. The fight lasted a full 12 rounds. Hwozdyk won on points.
On December 1, 2018, Oleksandr Hwozdyk won the world championship title according to WBC in the light heavyweight category, sending the long-awaited knockout in the 11th round of a tough fight lasting 12 rounds against the Canadian Adonis Stevenson, who held this title for five years.
In August 2019, an agreement was reached for an unification fight between WBC champion Oleksandr Hwozdyk and IBF champion Artur Beterbiev from Russia. The fight took place on October 18, 2019, in Philadelphia. Hwozdyk lost his belt, losing to Beterbiev by technical knockout.
On June 9, 2020, he announced the end of his career.
04.15.2022.