Russian heavyweight Murat Gassiev will defend his WBA “Regular” title against former Olympic champion Tony Yoka on July 11 in Moscow. Gassiev captured the belt in Dubai last December by knocking out Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev. Yoka, meanwhile, recently saw his scheduled clash with Britain’s Lawrence Okolie fall apart after Okolie tested positive for doping, but in return he has received an even more prestigious opportunity. Just like Gassiev, the Frenchman also fought his last bout in December.
Murat Gassiev’s career has been a strange one up to this point. The Russian boxer established himself in the cruiserweight division as one of the most devastating punchers of the modern era, producing one frightening knockout after another, but his meteoric rise came to a sudden halt when Oleksandr Usyk handed him a one-sided points defeat in Moscow in 2018.
After that bitter night, Gassiev began dealing with a multitude of injuries that kept him out of the ring for more than two years. The Russian significantly increased his weight and moved up to the heavyweight division, but his progress has been rather slow.
After easily blowing away a series of lower-level opponents, Gassiev was neutralized by the elusiveness and craftiness of Swedish boxer Otto Wallin, who defeated him by split decision in Turkey in 2023, putting a brake on his ambitions.
The Russian then had to wait another two years before receiving another major opportunity, but when the moment of truth arrived, he delivered. After losing all five opening rounds against the experienced Kubrat Pulev, Gassiev destroyed him with a terrifying left hook to the face, proving that his famous punching power has not disappeared.
Tony Yoka’s professional career has so far been deeply disappointing compared to expectations. The Frenchman turned professional with huge ambitions after winning Olympic gold in Rio 2016 and was climbing the international rankings when, between 2022 and 2023, he suffered three consecutive defeats on points, crushing the hopes of his supporters.
Since then, Yoka has gotten back on track with four victories, three of them by knockout, reversing a trend that was becoming worrying. Now, to further boost his stock and fully relaunch himself among the elite, the Frenchman will have to win in Moscow in front of a hostile crowd while taming a puncher with extremely heavy hands.