Oleksandr Gvozdyk is sold on the prospects of David Benavidez becoming a force at this weight.

The former lineal l75-pound champion has first-hand experience, having shared with the ring with Benavidez last June. It is believed that the good fortunes will continue for The Ring’s No. 2 light heavyweight contender in Saturday’s clash with David Morrell.

“I got Benavidez,” Gvozdyk told The Ring. “He has the experience, he applies nonstop pressure. It’s still going be a very tough fight. I think Morrell is going to take the first three or four rounds.

“Then, David Benavidez will start taking over.”

Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) and Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs)—The Ring’s No. 8 light heavyweight contender—meet this Saturday in a scheduled twelve-round contest. Prime Video and PPV.com will air their Pay-Per-View headliner from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The venue is within walking distance from Benavidez’s twelve-round, unanimous decision win over Gvozdyk (20-2, 16 KOs) last June 15 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Gvozdyk, now The Ring’s No. 7 light heavyweight contender, was tasked with testing the mettle of Benavidez in his first official fight at the weight after having twice held the WBC super middleweight title.

Benavidez survived a gut check against the tough-as-nails Ukrainian—aptly nicknamed ‘The Nail’—though admittedly in a performance that left room for improvement.

Still, it was enough to impress Gvozdyk, whose lone other career defeat came against The Ring/undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Betebiev (21-0, 20 KOs) in their Oct. 2019 WBC/IBF unification bout.

“My official prediction is David Benavidez by decision,” noted Gvozdyk.

Benavidez is already Beterbiev’s WBC mandatory challenger. The winner of Saturday’s bout is guaranteed next in line for whomever prevails in the Feb. 22 Ring/undisputed light heavyweight championship rematch between Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs), The Ring’s No. 1 light heavyweight contender, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.