Former light heavyweight titleholder Oleksandr Gvozdyk, who has tasted the power of Artur Beterbiev, named Saul “Canelo” Alvarez as the best fighter he’d sparred.

What stood out to Gvozdyk about Alvarez, 62-2-2 (39 KOs), was his power. Despite Alvarez starting at lower weights, he packed a mighty punch during their sparring sessions.

“I was impressed by his power,” Gvozdyk said. “This guy has some power, and I can tell you when you look at him, he looks like a small guy. Yeah, he's muscular, but you think you're going to spar with some small guy, but as soon as the bell rings, you feel his power in his fists. He hits pretty solid.”

Gvozdyk, 21-2 (17 KOs), noted that Guadalajara, Mexico’s Alvarez, packs a punch even by light heavyweight standards - and it’s not easy to return the favor.

“It's very hard to connect a hard punch on him,” Gvozdyk said. “He slips, he moves his head. He is a very skilled fighter. I was impressed.”

As for comparing Alvarez’s power to the best punchers he has faced, including former undisputed light heavyweight champion Beterbiev, Gvozdyk did. He even brought up an old adversary who doesn’t get mentioned much anymore, Adonis Stevenson.

“They have different power, Beterbiev has this heavy power, and Canelo is more explosive power,” Gvozdyk said. “The hardest hitter I've ever been in the ring with was Adonis Stevenson, but he wasn't the best guy that I fought, that was Beterbiev. But in terms of one-punch power, it was Stevenson. His shots were heavy and sharp.”

“Beterbiev lacks acceleration, you see his punches, maybe they are a little predictable,” Gvozdyk said. “They are super heavy. Canelo, I think his punches are crisp. The thing about Beterbiev; all of his punches are equally heavy. His jab, his left hook, if he throws four punches, all those four punches are equally heavy, like, because again, this is just his natural power. On the other hand, Canelo is more explosive. He throws those frisbee left hooks, right hooks, but usually, it's one punch. And if I were to evaluate one punch, I think the one that Canelo hits with are more effective.”

Gvozdyk, a Ukrainian who resides in Oxnard, California, explained the relentless nature that has made Beterbiev one of the best of his era.

“Canelo throws one punch and then he needs to wait, he needs to look, he needs to recharge. Beterbiev I would say his single punches that are not as heavy or as effective as Canelo, but he just throws them one after another, and they just accumulated. And then, eventually, obviously, it's harder to cope with, I would say.”

Gvozdyk also reflected upon Stevenson’s fighting style. Gvozdyk stopped Stevenson to end his long title reign.

“The problem with Stevenson is he doesn't throw a lot,” Gvozdyk said. “He's just looking, he's waiting. And then, if you blink, you can close your eyes and bye, bye. Because if he wants to hit you in and land a power punch, you'll be done for sure. But he throws only a couple of those per round. So basically, that is what I was watching for all the time.”

As for his opinion on Alvarez’s upcoming fight with the Cuban-born fighter William Scull, well, Gvozdyk is not such an authority.

“I don't even know who this guy is,” Gvozdyk said of Scull. “I just saw his face and the poster, and this is all I know about William Scull.”