Murat Gassiev won the WBA “regular” heavyweight title with a stunning knockout of Kubrat Pulev in Dubai.
Gassiev landed a clean left hook that sent Pulev to the floor, ending the fight in the sixth round as his opponent stumbled to his feet and was unable to beat the count.
For British boxing fans, Pulev is no stranger to defeats to Anthony Joshua and Derek Chisora in 2020 and 2022, respectively.
The 44-year-old’s matchup with Gassiev was probably the last roll of the dice, but he fell short.
Gassiev celebrates winning WBA ‘regular’ heavyweight title
The eye-catching win could give Gassiev a chance to win the full WBA world title against unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, who has held the WBA ‘Super’ belt since his first win over Joshua in 2021.
Gassiev, a former cruiserweight world champion, previously fought Usyk at cruiserweight, with Usyk winning by unanimous decision.
British contender Moses Itauma is also waiting for Gassiev, and the WBA said before the fight that the winner of Pulev-Gasiev must fight Itauma next.
Pulev was initially mandated to defend his WBA title against Itauma, but the Bulgarian team was already making plans for a fight with Russia’s Gassiev.
Itauma will put his 13-fight unbeaten record on the line when he faces American Jermaine Franklin in Manchester on January 24th.
