Oleksandr Gvozdyk vs Radivoje Kalajdzic Preview February 1st, 2026
Former WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk of Ukraine battles it out with Radivoje Kalajdzic of Serbia this Sunday, February 1st. The 10-rounder from Las Vegas, Nevada can be seen live on Paramount+. Gvozdyk last saw action in April when he stopped Anthony Holloway in the third round. Gvozdyk returned to the ring in 2023 after retiring in 2019 and won all three of his fights in his comeback year with two of them coming by KO. He fought just once in 2024 when he dropped a unanimous decision to David Benavidez in a shot at the WBC Interim Light Heavyweight Title and boxed only once last year as well. Kalajdzic last fought in August, 2024 when he dropped a unanimous decision to former world super middleweight beltholder David Morrell.
Gvozdyk vs Kalajdzic Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Radivoje Kalajdzic +391
- Oleksandr Gvozdyk -600
My Pick
Gvozdyk is now 38 years old and makes the ring walk with a mark of 21-2 with 17 Ko’s. He stands 6-feet-2-inches with a 75.5-inch and fights out of Oxnard, California. He has 127 rounds of pro experience under his belt since making his debut in 2014. Gvozdyk isn’t really known as a power puncher or one-punch knockout artist, but you’d never know it as 81 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage. His biggest victories have come against Adonis Stevenson, Tommy Karpency, Otis Griffin, Yunieski Gonzalez, Nadjib Mohammedi and Isaac Chilemba.
Gvozdyk won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England and is a three-time Ukrainian amateur national champion who also fought in the World and European Championships as well as in the World Series of Boxing. He’s also captured the NABF, and WBO NABO Light Heavyweight Titles since turning pro. Gvozdyk won the WBC Light-Heavyweight Title in December, 2018 when he stopped Adonis Stevenson in the 11th round.
He defended it against Doudou Ngumbu four months later when Ngumbu suffered a calf injury in the fifth round and couldn’t continue. Gvozdyk lost the belt and his first pro fight when IBF Champion Artur Beterbiev halted him in the 10th round in October, 2019 while Gvozdyk was ahead on two of the three scorecards. He then walked away from the sport for about three-and-a-half-years and returned to the ring in 2023 when he beat Josue Obando by six-round unanimous decision. His chin is relatively solid but Karpency dropped him in the first round in 2016 and Beterbiev stopped him decisively.
The 34-year-old Kalajdzic fights out of Saint Petersburg, Florida, but many fans don’t know much about him even though he was stopped by Artur Beterbiev in the fifth round in 2019 in a shot at the IBF Light Heavyweight Belt and also lost to David Morrell. He owns a record of 29-3 with 21 Ko’s and has plenty of power as well as 72.4 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage including his last four. He’s also won five of six fights since his loss to Beterbiev. ‘Hot Rod’ measures 6-feet-3-inches tall with a 76-inch, so is an inch taller than Gvozdyk with a minimal half-inch edge in reach.
Kalajdzic and his family fled the Bosnian War in 1992 and ended up in America as refugees in 1998. He turned pro back in 2011 and has boxed 122 rounds since. His first loss came to Marcus Browne in 2016 when he dropped an eight-round split decision for the vacant WBC United States Light Heavyweight Title. Kalajdzic was decked in the very first round but returned the favour by flooring Browne in the sixth stanza. The other recognizable names on his list of opponents are Sullivan Barrera, Otis Griffin, Lionell Thompson, and Denis Grachev.
Prediction…
Both boxers have plenty of power but Gvozdyk also possesses exceptional boxing skills. Kalajdzic may also have some ring rust to deal with as he’s been out of the ring for close to a year and a half. Gvozdyk definitely has the edge in pure boxing skills and IQ and as long as he displays them this weekend he should be able to outbox Kalajdzic with a stoppage being a remote possibility.
Gvozdyk’s the better overall boxer and has more power.
Play: Gvozdyk -600 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Oleksandr Gvozdyk betting • Radivoje Kalajdzic betting