Murat Georgievich Gassiev (russian: Мурат Георгиевич Гассиев; os, Гасситы Георгийы фырт Мурат; born 12 October 1993) is a Russian
professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
from
North Ossetia-Alania
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''north'' is ...
. He is a former unified
cruiserweight world champion, having held the
IBF
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
title from 2016 to 2018, and the
WBA (Unified)
The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is the oldest and one of four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Council (WBC), International Bo ...
title in 2018. As of October 2021, he is ranked as the world's ninth-best active
heavyweight
Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.
Boxing Professional
Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...
by
BoxRec
BoxRec or boxrec.com is a website dedicated to holding updated records of professional and amateur boxers, both male and female. It also maintains a MediaWiki-based encyclopaedia of boxing.
The objective of the site is to document every profess ...
.
Background
Gassiev is from
Vladikavkaz
Vladikavkaz (russian: Владикавка́з, , os, Дзæуджыхъæу, translit=Dzæwdžyqæw, ;), formerly known as Ordzhonikidze () and Dzaudzhikau (), is the capital city of the North Ossetia-Alania, Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, Ru ...
, the capital of
North Ossetia-Alania
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''north'' is ...
, and is of
Ossetian Iron
Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...
descent. He had a short
amateur
An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
career, consisting of 25 fights.
Professional career
Early years
Gassiev made his professional boxing debut at the age of 17 on 21 September 2011. He fought at the
Manezh
The Moscow Manege ( rus, Мане́ж, p=mɐˈnʲeʂ, a=Ru-манеж.ogg) is an oblong building along the west side of Manege Square, which was cleared in the 1930s and lies adjacent to Red Square. It is the site of Moscow Design Museum sinc ...
in
Vladikavkaz
Vladikavkaz (russian: Владикавка́з, , os, Дзæуджыхъæу, translit=Dzæwdžyqæw, ;), formerly known as Ordzhonikidze () and Dzaudzhikau (), is the capital city of the North Ossetia-Alania, Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, Ru ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, beating 22-year-old Roman Mirzoev, who only had three professional win-less fights, in a scheduled four-round fight that went the distance, earning a unanimous decision with scores of 40-37, 39-38, and 39-38 in his favour. Gassiev had his second fight in November at the
Traktor Sport Palace
Traktor Ice Arena named after Valery Konsantinovich Belousov (), commonly shortened to Traktor Ice Arena, is an indoor sporting arena located in Chelyabinsk, Russia. It is used for various indoor events and is the home arena of Traktor Chelyabin ...
in
Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk ( rus, Челя́бинск, p=tɕɪˈlʲæbʲɪnsk, a=Ru-Chelyabinsk.ogg; ba, Силәбе, ''Siläbe'') is the administrative center and largest city of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. It is the seventh-largest city in Russia, with a ...
, Russia, defeating Vladimir Chuklin, knocking him out in round 4. Over the next 18 months, Gassiev remained unbeaten with a record of 11 wins with 7 coming inside the distance at a tender age of 19.
In June 2013, Gassiev defeated 24 year old Levan Jomardashvili (31-10, 21 KOs) to claim the vacant
WBC Youth world cruiserweight title at the Yunost Arena in
Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk ( rus, Челя́бинск, p=tɕɪˈlʲæbʲɪnsk, a=Ru-Chelyabinsk.ogg; ba, Силәбе, ''Siläbe'') is the administrative center and largest city of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. It is the seventh-largest city in Russia, with a ...
. In round 1, Jomardashvili was dropped twice scoring it a 10-7 round for Gassiev and in round 2, the fight was stopped after Jomardashvili was dropped a further two times. Gassiev defended the title in December against Ivica Bacurin 16-3-1, 7 KOs). The fight went the full 10 rounds as Gassiev won via unanimous decision (98-89, 100-87, 96-91). Bacurin was knocked down once in round 2, in round 8 and in round 10. He also had a point deducted in round 10.
On 1 February 2014 Gassiev fought veteran 31 year old Belgium boxer Ismail Abdoul 51-27-2, 19 KOs). This was the first 12-round fight Gassiev was involved in and it went the whole distance. The scorecards were read 120-108, 117-111, 115-113 all in favor of Gassiev. With the win, he also won the vacant IBF East/West Europe cruiserweight title. On 30 August 2014 Gassiev fought on the undercard of
WBO cruiserweight title fight
Huck-
Larghetti at the
Gerry Weber Stadium
OWL Arena is a multi-purpose indoor sports arena, located in Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia, in Germany. The capacity of the arena is 12,300 people and it opened in 1993.
It hosts the Halle Open every year in June. It is one of the few grass cour ...
in Halle,
Nordrhein-Westfalen
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabi ...
, Germany. He knocked out the undefeated Leon Harth (9-0, 6 KOs). Two months later, Gassiev won the vacant
IBF Inter-Continental cruiserweight title after stopping Engin Karakaplan in round 1. It was in this year that Gassiev began training with
Abel Sanchez
Abel Sanchez is a Mexican-American boxing trainer. He is best known as the former coach of Gennady Golovkin, and has trained other boxers such as Lupe Aquino, Terry Norris, and Murat Gassiev.
Early life
Sanchez was born in Tijuana, Mexic ...
.
Rise up the ranks
Gassiev had a busy year in 2015, fighting four times. In January he made his debut in the United States, stopping Terrance Smith in round 4 before fighting his biggest challenge to date, former
USBA and
NABF cruiserweight champion
Felix Cora Jr.
Felix Cora Jr. (born 18 February 1980) is an American professional boxer. He is a former holder of the USBA and NABF cruiserweight titles and was a contestant in the fourth season of the reality TV show '' The Contender''.
Professional career
...
(25-6-2, 14 KOs) at the
Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Connecticut. Gassiev successfully defended his IBF Inter-Continental title in round 9 of the scheduled 12 round fight. Gassiev stalked Cora early with an assault to the body. In round 9, Cora would no longer defend himself, which forced referee Johnny Callas to finally stop the fight.
In June 2015, Gassiev knocked out Rodney Moore in 2 rounds and then fought the undefeated
Isiah Thomas (15-0, 6 KOs) on 18 December 2015 at the
Palms Casino Resort
Palms Casino Resort is a hotel and casino located near the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned and operated by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. It includes 703 rooms and a casino. It was originally owned by th ...
, in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, Nevada in an IBF eliminator. The fight ended after round 3 in a no contest after Thomas was hit accidentally after the bell and could no longer continue following the ringside doctor's orders. Thomas controlled the majority of the 3 rounds before Gassiev landed the hard shots before the fight was stopped.
It was announced that Gassiev would get another opportunity in an eliminator against #10 IBF
Jordan Shimmell (20-1, 16 KOs), whose only defeat came to Isiah Thomas. The fight took place at the Black Bear Casino in
Carlton
Carlton may refer to:
People
* Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname
* Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy
* Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...
,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
on 17 May 2016. Gassiev stayed unbeaten in defeating Shimmell in a 1st-round knockout. Gassiev knocked Shimmell down with a left hook to the head. The back of Shimmell's head bounced off the canvas when he was knocked down and was out cold. Shimmell was also knocked under the ropes when he fell. The fight was immediately stopped by referee Mark Nelson with just six seconds of round 1 remaining. With the win, Gassiev was now the IBF
mandatory challenger In professional boxing and some other combat sports, a mandatory challenger is an opponent whom a champion must either fight or be forced to vacate their title as champion. A mandatory defence is the opposite of a voluntary defence, where the champi ...
to unified
WBA and
IBF
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
cruiserweight champion
Denis Lebedev
Denis Aleksandrovich Lebedev (russian: Денис Александрович Лебедев; born 14 August 1979) is a Russian former professional boxer who competed between 2001 and 2019. He is a former unified world cruiserweight champion, ...
, who defeated
Victor Emilio Ramirez in a unification bout the following week.
IBF cruiserweight champion
Gassiev vs. Lebedev
It was announced in August 2016, that a fight between Gassiev and unified cruiserweight world champion Denis Lebedev (29-2, 22 KOs) was in the works and a date was set for 3 December 2016 at the
Megasport Arena
Megasport Sport Palace (russian: Дворец спорта "Мегаспорт" ''Dvorets sporta Megasport''), formerly Khodynka Arena or Ice Sport Palace, is a multi-purpose indoor arena that is located in Moscow, Russia. The arena is situated ...
in Moscow. At the official weigh in on 2 December, Lebedev weighed in at 199.7 lbs as Gassiev weighed 198.3 lbs. Lebedev successfully applied for only the IBF title to be at stake as a result, retaining his WBA (Super) title in the process. Lebedev kept the attack up through the 12 rounds as he went on to lose a split decision, losing the IBF title in the process. Two judges scored it 116-112 and 116-111 for Gassiev as the third scored it 114-113 for Lebedev. Lebedev was knocked down in round 5, following a left shot to the body, but managed to beat the count and immediately changed style to avoid further punishment to the body. In the post fight interviews, Lebedev thought he had done enough to win the fight or at least earn a draw and wanted a rematch.
World Boxing Super Series
Gassiev entered the
World Boxing Super Series
The World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) is a professional boxing tournament organised by Comosa AG.
Each weight class features eight boxers competing in an annual knockout competition with the champion from each weight class taking the Muhammad Al ...
tournament when it was announced. The 8-man knockout style tournament would determine the best in the division and include other top cruiserweight champions and contenders.
Gassiev vs. Włodarczyk
At the Draft Gala, which took place on 8 July 2017, although Gassiev was second-seeded, meaning he could pick whom he wanted to fight, his choice was pre-determined to be former IBF and
WBC cruiserweight champion
Krzysztof Włodarczyk
Krzysztof Włodarczyk (; born 19 September 1981) is a Polish professional boxer.. Retrieved 30 September 2016. He is a two-time former cruiserweight world champion, having held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title from 2006 to 2007 ...
(53-3-1, 37 KOs) by the IBF, in a mandatory fight. It was announced on 8 September by Ringstar Sports that the fight would take place in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.[Prudential Center
Prudential Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey. Opened in 2007, it is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the men's basketball program of Seton Hal ...]
on 21 October 2017. One of the main factors for the fight taking place in New Jersey was the Polish population in that state. Gassiev delivered a dominant third-round KO, retaining his IBF title and securing his place in the semi finals. Gassiev was in control the opening two rounds working away on Włodarczyk. Midway through round 3, having Włodarczyk against the ropes, Gassiev connected with a left uppercut to the head, which was immediately followed by a left to the body, dropping Włodarczyk on all fours, flat on the canvas. Włodarczyk, clearly in pain, failed to beat the 10 count. The official time of stoppage was 1:57 of the round. Gassiev, who was pleased with his performance, said, "I had a great opponent tonight. I prepared myself for a tough fight, but it is boxing, and anything can happen. We do a lot of work in the gym, and I just listened to my coach round after round, and he told me what I needed to do. That's all I needed." Włodarczyk accepted defeat admitting the better man won.
Gassiev vs. Dorticos
Immediately after Gassiev's win over Włodarczyk, WBA 'Regular' champion
Yuniel Dorticos
Yuniel Dorticós Pao (born 11 March 1986) is a Cuban professional boxer. He is a two-time former cruiserweight world champion, having held the WBA title from 2017 to 2018 and the IBF title from 2019 to 2020. As of August 2022, he is ranked as t ...
(22-0, 21 KOs), who defeated
Dmitry Kudryashov in September to advance to the semi finals, entered the ring. Gassiev and Dorticos posed in a face off to start the buildup to their fight. Dorticos told Gassiev, "Take a good vacation. I wanna prepare the right dosage for you of
ibuprofen and
anesthesia
Anesthesia is a state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical or veterinary purposes. It may include some or all of analgesia (relief from or prevention of pain), paralysis (muscle relaxation), ...
for the next fight, so it’s less painful." On 29 October 2017, Gassiev's trainer
Abel Sanchez
Abel Sanchez is a Mexican-American boxing trainer. He is best known as the former coach of Gennady Golovkin, and has trained other boxers such as Lupe Aquino, Terry Norris, and Murat Gassiev.
Early life
Sanchez was born in Tijuana, Mexic ...
stated the fight could take place on 20 January 2018. The fight was confirmed to take place at the
Bolshoy Ice Dome
The Bolshoy Ice Dome (russian: Большой Ледовый дворец) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Olympic Park, Sochi, Russia. Opened in 2012, the 12,000-seat arena was primarily constructed to host hockey competitions duri ...
in
Sochi, Russia
Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents i ...
on 3 February 2018. On 1 February 2018, the WBA demoted Lebedev to 'champion in recess' and promoted Dorticos from 'regular' to 'full' champion in order for the fight with Gassiev to be a true unification. The WBA stated the winner of the tournament would be mandated to fight Lebedev.
Gassiev dropped Dorticos three times in round 12 to score a dramatic win and advance to the final of the tournament. The last knockdown drove Dorticos through the ropes, forcing referee Eddie Claudio to end the bout at 2 minutes and 52 seconds. At the time of stoppage Gassiev was ahead 105-104, 106-103, 106-103 on all three scorecards. The first knockdown came after a left hook to the jaw. Dorticos got back to his feet on unsteady legs. Gassiev knocked him down for a second time with a left hook to the head. Dorticos was always coming forward, but looked fatigued in the second half of the fight. CompuBox Stats showed that Gassiev landed 190 of 608 punches thrown (31%), this included 139 of 278 power punches and Dorticos landed 132 of his 602 thrown (22%). Dorticos was upset after the fight and remained on his stool for an extended period of time. He cried at the post fight press conference. Gassiev walked over to him and consoled him.
Gassiev vs. Usyk
After Gassiev defeated Dorticos, unified
WBO and
WBC cruiserweight champion
Oleksandr Usyk
Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Usyk ( uk, Олекса́ндр Олекса́ндрович У́сик; born 17 January 1987) is a Ukrainian professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the unified ...
(14-0, 11 KOs) entered the ring and congratulated him, setting up the final of the tournament, to take place in
Jeddah
Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...
, Saudi Arabia on 11 May 2018. A day after Gassiev's win, the Russian Boxing Federation's Secretary General, Umar Kremlev stated that he would push forward in order to outbid Saudi Arabia and have the final of the tournament take place in Russia on the Day of Russian Boxing on 22 July. In a statement, he said, "We will put maximum pressure on the organizers of the WBSS to make the final of the tournament in Russia. We have already started to act and have indicated our intention to break the price being paid for the show by Saudi Arabia." On 5 February, ''
The Ring Magazine
''The Ring'' (often called ''The Ring'' magazine or ''Ring'' magazine) is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into questio ...
'' announced the winner would receive their
vacant cruiserweight title as Usyk and Gassiev are ranked #1 and #2 respectively in their weight. After returning to
North Ossetia, where he was met with 3,000 people, Gassiev stated he would be moving up to heavyweight after fighting Usyk. On 16 April, it was reported that Usyk had suffered an elbow injury during training, pushing the final to possibly June or July 2018. With the Russian Boxing Federation still pushing to host the final on 22 July in Moscow, Usyk replied that he would not be fighting Gassiev in Russia. He went on to say the fight could still place in Moscow, but he would not be involved. Kremlev replied that it was not up to himself or Usyk as to where the final would be held. On 18 June, at a press conference, Kremlev announced the final would take place on 21 July at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia. On 29 June, the final was officially confirmed. On the release date, 7,000 tickets were sold. Both boxers came in at 198.45 pounds at the weigh-in.
Usyk quickly took control of the fight, moving rapidly and using his "beautiful, commandeering jab". Despite facing a hostile hometown crowd, Usyk controlled the fight, not allowing Gassiev to use his power. Gassiev did not land a solid punch until the end of round 2. According to many reports, Usyk outclassed, outboxed, and dominated Gassiev. The result was never in question as Usyk was declared winner by unanimous decision with the scores of 120-108, 119-109, 119-109. Muhammad Ali's widow, Lonnie Ali presented the trophy to Usyk. After the fight, both combatants were exemplars of good sportsmanship, embracing, with Gassiev saying "I had the best opponent of my professional career ... today is Oleksandr's day". Usyk humbly adding "My team made me look like I looked in the ring. This is our victory". The win made Usyk the first ever four-belt undisputed cruiserweight champion. Usyk dominated throughout, landing 252 of 939 thrown punches (27%), compared to Gassiev's 91 landed of 313 thrown (29%). Usyk used his superior conditioning to finish the fight, also increasing his output by landing 47 of 117 punches thrown in round 12. Usyk managed to withstand the 32 power body shots he received and continued to move around the ring.
On 17 August 2018, it was reported that Gassiev would take time out to deal with an ongoing shoulder injury, potentially leading to surgery. His co-promoter, Leon Margules stated, "Gassiev may need surgery, he has a left shoulder injury. We have not talked about his future. As soon as Murat recovers from injuries, we will discuss the situation." At this point, there was no indication on whether Gassiev would remain at cruiserweight or move up to heavyweight.
Heavyweight
Gassiev underwent surgery and remained on the sidelines. In March 2019, Gassiev stated he would make a decision on what weight he would compete at. He advised he had already began training and would join Abel Sanchez in the coming weeks. When asked which platform he would fight on, Gassiev only mentioned he would start negotiations with
DAZN
DAZN ( "da zone") is a global sports entertainment platform. Different to traditional linear and satellite broadcasting, DAZN is an over-the-top (OTT) streaming service meaning that it is delivered directly to viewers via the internet.
The ...
streaming service. On 8 April, it was reported that Gassiev would make his heavyweight debut in June 2019. On 18 April, Matchroom Boxing USA announced they had agreed a deal with Ural Boxing Promotion and Warriors Boxing to co-promote Gassiev, which would see him fight on DAZN. On the new deal, Gassiev said, "I am confident that this cooperation will bring great results. I want to make all my fans around the world happy and realize my full potential in the exciting Heavyweight division." Matchroom Boxing USA's
Eddie Hearn
Edward John Hearn (born 8 June 1979) is a British sports promoter who is chairman of Matchroom Sport and Professional Darts Corporation. Hearn is the son of promoter Barry Hearn, the founder of Matchroom Sport.
Education
Hearn was a student a ...
also welcomed Gassiev stating there was a lot of options for Gassiev in regards to opponents.
On 31 October 2020, Gassiev had his debut at heavyweight against
Nuri Seferi
Nuri Seferi (born 23 December 1976) is an Albanian professional boxer who competes out of Burgdorf, Switzerland.
Biography
Seferi was born in Gostivar, SFR Yugoslavia (present-day North Macedonia) and is of Albanian heritage. Whilst in Yugos ...
. Gassiev hit Seferi with a massive right hand in the first round, which sent Seferi to the canvas. Seferi, only being stopped once before in his professional career, managed to get up, but was noticeably wobbly and the referee waved the fight off.
Gassiev faced the former
WBO European
heavyweight
Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.
Boxing Professional
Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...
champion
Michael Wallisch for the vacant WBA Asia heavyweight title on 22 July 2021, at the
Dynamo Volleyball Arena in Moscow, Russia. Gassiev dropped Wallisch with a combination of a body shot and an overhand right near the end of the fourth round. Although Wallisch was able to beat the ten count, he was stopped quickly after with a flurry of punches from Gassiev.
Gassiev was expected to face Andrei Rudenko on 25 December 2021. He withdrew from the fight on 8 December, after breaking his right arm while sparring. Gassiev was next booked to face Carlouse Welch for the vacant
EBP heavyweight title on 26 August 2022, at the Belgrade Waterfront Plato Arena in
Belgrade, Serbia
Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 mill ...
. He won the fight by a first-round knockout, needing just 87 seconds to stop his opponent.
Professional boxing record
See also
*
List of cruiserweight boxing champions
This is a chronological list of world cruiserweight boxing champions, as recognized by four of the better-known sanctioning organizations:
Championship recognition
* The World Boxing Association (WBA), founded in 1921 as the National Boxing ...
References
External links
*
Murat Gassiev - Profile, News Archive & Current Rankingsa
Box.Live
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gassiev, Murat
1993 births
Living people
People from Vladikavkaz
Russian male boxers
Cruiserweight boxers
World cruiserweight boxing champions
International Boxing Federation champions
World Boxing Association champions
Ossetian people
Russian people of Ossetian descent