WBC orders eliminator between Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Joe Smith Jr.

The WBC recently released reports on their mandatory situations from middleweight to heavyweight. In addition to confirming details we already knew, such as the middleweight eliminator between Jermall Charlo and Jorge Sebastian Heiland and the super middleweight eliminator between David Benavidez and Rogelio Medina, the update also mentioned an extremely good fight at light heavyweight: Oleksandr Gvozdyk vs. Joe Smith Jr.

The fight, which was first laid out when the organization allowed Adonis Stevenson to sidestep Eleider Alvarez in March, would put the winner next in line after the winner of Alvarez vs. Jean Pascal.

Gvozdyk (13-0, 11 KO) has been an absolute model prospect since winning bronze in Athens, tearing apart a series of progressively stronger opponents before running over the very capable Yunieski Gonzalez in April. Smith (23-1, 19 KO), meanwhile, came out of nowhere to destroy Andrzej Fonfara and Bernard Hopkins in 2016.

The caveat, of course, is that the likelihood of Stevenson fighting either Gvozdyk or Smith is effectively nil, especially the former. We can only hope Fonfara, Alvarez, or Pascal manages to down “Superman” later this year and get the title picture back on track.