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Murat Gassiev Set to Defend WBA Title Against Tony Yoka

Murat Gassiev will make the first defence of his WBA 'Regular' Heavyweight title against Tony Yoka, neither man has fought since December of last year
James Hicken|
Murat Gassiev
Murat Gassiev | IMAGO / ITAR-TASS

Murat Gassiev's next fight has officially been announced.

Gassiev is the former IBF cruiserweight champion, reigning for two years before suffering his first career defeat at the hands of the all-time great Oleksandr Usyk in a bid to become undisputed champion.

We last saw the Russian in the ring in December, when he claimed his second WBA title by producing a devastating knockout of Kubrat Pulev. He now sits as The Ring's ninth-best heavyweight in the world.

IBA
We are all set for Kubrat Pulev vs. Murat Gassieve in Dubai | IBA Pro

It was rumored that Gassiev was being lined up by Frank Warren for his young phenom Moses Itauma to take another step closer to a shot at a heavyweight title, but this never materialized, and it now looks as though Itauma is targeting the higher-ranked and more highly regarded Filip Hrgovic. Gassiev will therefore have to settle.

Gassiev to fight Tony Yoka

Tony Yoka
Tony Victor James Yoka | Erich Schlegel-Imagn Images

On May 27, it was announced that Murat Gassiev will defend his WBA 'Regular' heavyweight title against Olympic gold medallist Tony Yoka on July 11 in Russia.

Yoka has not been in the ring since December of last year, where he extended his win streak to four fights by knocking out Patrick Korte in the first round. This has helped to get Yoka's career back on track after he suffered three consecutive defeats at the hands of Martin Bakole, Carlos Takam and Ryad Merhy, dousing the flames of the promising start to the Olympic gold medallists' professional career.

The Frenchman would have liked to be back in the ring sooner, as he had a fight scheduled for April 25 in Paris against another former cruiserweight champion in Lawrence Okolie, but it was canceled due to the Brit returning an adverse finding in a VADA test in the build-up.

He also looked to feature on the Dave Allen vs Filip Hrgovic fight undercard, but nothing ever materialized.

The announcement came as a surprise to some, as Yoka has not been ranked in the top 15 with the WBA in over four years. But Gassiev was given permission by the sanctioning body to handpick his opponent to prevent any delays with his mandatory, Itauma.

This fight represents an opportunity for the winner to have the most monumental fight of their life — a chance to challenge for the heavyweight world title against the winner of Usyk vs Agit Kabayel. Kabayel is currently being enforced as the next mandatory for Usyk, and if the fight happens, the WBA will be next in line to have a shot at the winner.

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James Hicken
JAMES HICKEN

James started his journalism career in 2024 and has written about a variety of sports, including Boxing, MMA, tennis and Formula 1, but his expertise is in boxing. As a former boxer, he has been published with Boxing News and the Independent, where he worked as a boxing writer - covering breaking news, analysis, interviewing notable figures such as Amir Khan and reporting from ringside. James was born in Birmingham in the UK before a brief stint of his childhood in New Jersey, and then returned to the UK as a teenager to finish his education and gain a Bachelor's degree from Newcastle University. When he isn’t writing, James enjoys a round of golf with his friends or lacing up his gloves and trying to emulate the fighters he loves watching, like Vasiliy Lomachenko and David Benavidez.