Murat Gassiev steps into the ring in Moscow on July 11 for his first title defense as WBA “regular” heavyweight champion. His opponent will be Olympic champion Tony Yoka.
Murat Gassiev will contest his first title defense as WBA “Regular” World Heavyweight Champion on July 11 in Moscow. The former unified cruiserweight champion will face French Olympic champion Tony Yoka in the VTB Arena.
Gassiev had secured the title last December with a spectacular knockout victory over Kubrat Pulev. Although the Russian was behind on the scorecards, he ended the fight in the sixth round with a single heavy punch. He now makes his first appearance as heavyweight champion in front of his home crowd.
“It’s an honor to defend the WBA heavyweight world title for the first time. The fact that I can do this at home in front of my Russian fans makes it even more special,” said Gassiev. At the same time, he showed respect for his challenger: “Tony Yoka is a big, strong heavyweight with serious skills.”
Yoka travels to Russia with mixed results. The Rio 2016 Olympic champion was long regarded as a great heavyweight talent, but has so far only been able to partially meet the high expectations in the professional camp. Against Gassiev, the Frenchman now has the chance to give his career a new lease of life.
Text by Robin Josten