Gassiev calls out hyped British heavyweight.
If you know who Murat Gassiev is, there is definitely a possibility that you have forgotten just what an animal the man was in the ring.
You see, at one time, the Russian was one of the very best cruiserweights in the world and arguably the most powerful.
In December of 2016, he won the IBF title in a split decision over Denis Lebedev.
That is the last time he went the distance in victory.
Gassiev set up that victory with a skull-crushing KO over Jordan Shimmell, which remains one of the most brutal knockouts of the last ten years.
After the Lebedev victory, Gassiev would take part in the cruiserweight World Boxing Super Series, wiping out former WBC champion Krzysztof Wlodarczyk in three rounds in the quarter-final.
In the semi-final, Gassiev took out Cuban power-punching menace Yuniel Dorticos, separating “The KO Doctor” from his title and undefeated record by stopping him in the final round.
In the final, Gassiev took on Oleksandr Usyk, who tamed the beast and took from Gassiev his unified championship.
Since then, Gassiev has moved up to heavyweight, going 7-1 with 7 KOs.
A 2023 loss to Otto Wallin seemed to end Gassiev’s momentum for good. However, a knockout over unbeaten world-ranked contender Kem Ljungquist got him back in the mix. And in February, Gassiev knocked out Kubrat Pulev to become the WBA (Regular) heavyweight champion.
Gassiev and his promoter have made it clear who they want to face next: Moses Itauma, the WBA’s #1 contender.
On Saturday, Itauma put the boxing world on notice, smashing the never-before-stopped Jermaine Franklin to pieces in five rounds. With such a performance, not many are calling Itauma’s name.
Gassiev is the exception.
It must also be said that Gassiev’s promoter (Al Siesta) is very confident in his fighter’s chances against the explosive Briton.
“Taking shots from Jermaine Franklin–who is not a puncher–and taking shots from Murat Gassiev–who is a cranial-bender–it’s a different thing, I’m telling you”, said Siesta to BoxingScene.
Certainly, Gassiev possesses 26 knockouts in 33 wins and brings power to the table that Itauma has definitely not dealt with yet in his young career.
Perhaps the hard-hitting man known as “Iron” presents the next logical test for Itauma to pass. There are certainly enough people calling for the fight to take place.
Itauma and Gassiev actually share an opponent in Mike Balogun, who was taken out in the second round by both. Itauma, though, did the job 54 seconds quicker than Gassiev did.
With both men’s status in the WBA, there is certainly a possibility that a fight between them will get made. And if there is a man to chin-check the young Itauma at this stage of his career, it might just be Murat Gassiev.
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