Murat Gassiev promoted to full WBA champion after opponent withdrawal

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DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 12: Murat Gassiev celebrates victory after defeating Kubrat Pulev during the WBA Heavyweight World Title Fight between Kubrat Pulev and Murat Gassiev at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium on December 12, 2025 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images) | Getty Images It’s been an up-and-down day for former cruiserweight champ Murat Gassiev. Early this morning, the IBA, which is slated to host “Iron’s” next fight on July 11th, revealed on Instagram that he’d been upgraded from secondary to full WBA heavyweight titlist after Oleksandr Usyk vacated his remaining belts. Hours later, news broke that he’ll need a new foe for his inaugural defense, as Tony Yoka is out due to a back injury. Per ESPN and The Ring, Joe Joyce (16-4, 15 KO) is a leading choice of replacement; “The Juggernaut” is currently slated to face Artem Suslenkov on that same show, so that’s the path of least resistance, but it would result in a world title challenger who’s dropped two straight and four of his previous five. Not that Gassiev’s (33-2, 26 KO) heavyweight championship journey was all that more glamorous. Once a genuine terror at 200, Gassiev’s first real test since falling to Usyk in the WBSS finals saw him drop an uninspiring decision to Otto Wallin in 2023. Subsequent victories over Ken Ljungquist and Jeremiah Milton somehow earned him a crack at 44-year-old WBA “world” champ Kubrat Pulev, who outclassed Gassiev for five rounds before eating a monster hook that put him down for the count. And now he’s officially a two-division champion.

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Murat Gassiev is the latest beneficiary of Oleksandr Usyk’s vacation spree, but he needs a new dance partner