Oleksandr Gvozdyk has every excuse to retire. He’s had 22 pro fights, many of them against feared light heavyweight punchers, and spent time as the lineal champion of the division. He took Artur Beterbiev’s best in 2019, resulting in a tenth-round stoppage loss that actually did see him take a three-year break from the sport. And with the 175lbs class stacked with quality fighters, most would believe that Gvozdyk’s time has passed. 

Not only is Gvozdyk not done, his training routines at 38 years old are the same as earlier in his career. He wants activity. And he wants another world title.

But first, Gvozdyk will fight Anthony Hollaway on April 19, his first fight since a unanimous decision loss to the surging David Benavidez in July 2024. The fight will be on the undercard of Gabriela Fundora’s undisputed flyweight title defense against Marilyn Badillo Amaya.

It’s easy to interpret Gvozdyk’s 10-month layoff as time needed to recover from the effects of “The Mexican Monster’s” power punches, or time spent contemplating retirement.

Gvozdyk set the record straight in a conversation with BoxingScene. “I was ready to fight basically in September, right after my fight,” he said. A fight with a 15-1 opponent, whose name Gvozdyk can’t recall, fell through. “Now, finally, I get an opportunity to fight, and that’s great.

“I just want to stay active,” Gvozdyk stressed. “Look, I’m not delusional. I’m 38 years old, and there’s not a time where I can wait for a couple years before the next fight. I want to fight any fighters. I’m willing to fight the best one, I’m willing to fight just some fighter just to stay active. I’m open to any options.”

Gvozdyk’s aspirations are strikingly high, particularly so for someone nearing the end of their fourth decade who has been through some wars, to boot.

“To become world champion again is the main goal,” Gvozdyk said. “I will try to make it here at light heavyweight. If it’s not gonna work, I’m gonna move up and [try] cruiserweight.”

The willingness to move up to 200lbs reflects the depth of Gvozdyk’s ambition – he’s fought at 175 for his whole career, and while most fighters struggle to remain in their initial weight class as they age, Gvozdyk said he has no issues making light heavyweight.

If Gvozdyk, 20-2 (16 KOs) gets through Hollaway – and if he retains even the majority of the skills he had at his peak, he likely will, Hollaway is 9-7-3 – he’d like to fight Callum Smith. Last seen in a war with Joshua Buatsi (which Gvozdyk didn’t watch in its entirety, but did catch highlights of), Smith could be an excellent matchup.

One might reasonably counter that at 38, and on the wrong side of an Artur Beterbiev beatdown, Gvozdyk is on the decline. And his relatively defensive, jab-heavy showing against Benavidez bolstered that notion. At the same time, Gvozdyk was in excellent condition and took Benavidez’s punches well. A fight with Smith figures to be more competitive.

“Even though I’m 38, I still feel healthy and young inside, so, perfect. I still have some time,” Gvozdyk said.

Gvozdyk seemed more burned out from events outside of the ring than inside it. Asked about the ongoing war in his home country of Ukraine, Gvozdyk was understandably weary.

“Listen, it’s already happened for more than two years,” he said. “I even limited myself in watching news, because the only thing you’re getting from there is some bad news. It’s horrible, and I’m supporting my country as much as I can.

“What can I do about it? If I would be able to stop it, I would. But unfortunately, I can’t.”

Gvozdyk’s father remains in Ukraine, and at his advanced age would prefer to stay than relocate to the United States with his son. “For him, it’s better to live in Ukraine under war conditions than to move here to the United States. So it’s his decision, and I cannot force him. So he’s in Ukraine, and seems to be alright.”

Gvozdyk is blunt and honest. He does not try to sell the idea that Hollaway is better than his record, or that the fight will be an action blockbuster.

“No disrespect to Anthony at all, but we just take the fight which is available,” Gvozdyk said. “We were supposed to fight different guy, but it didn’t work out … basically, Anthony [took] the fight on short notice, 10 days. We just take the fight which is available.”

When asked at the end of the interview if there is anything he wants to say that he hadn’t been given the opportunity to, Gvozdyk offered “no, not really. All good. Thank you,” instead of the seemingly inevitable “make sure you tune in on April 19.” His track record and lofty goals are sufficient reason to care about his results.