Murat Gassiev Successfully Defends World Title for the First Time

Russian boxer Murat Gassiev successfully defended his WBA world heavyweight title for the first time, stopping late-replacement Peter Kadiru exactly one minute into the sixth round.

In the main event of the IBA Pro 19 gala night at Moscow's VTB Arena, Gassiev, now boasting a record of 34 wins and 2 losses (27 by knockout), faced little serious challenge from Kadiru, whose record now stands at 23 wins and 2 defeats (13 by knockout). The Russian maintained a high guard and leveraged his superior power and speed to dictate the entire bout.

After five rounds of controlling an increasingly fatigued Kadiru, Gassiev – a former unified world cruiserweight champion who became the sole WBA heavyweight champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated his titles last month – cornered the German and unleashed a barrage of punches. This forced a member of Kadiru's team to climb onto the ring and wave the white towel, signaling a surrender.

The exhausted Kadiru needed several minutes to recover before he could attend the official announcement of the fight's result. Despite the loud encouragement from former WBO champion Shannon Briggs at ringside, the 29-year-old Kadiru failed to mount any particularly effective offense against the superbly prepared 32-year-old Gassiev. This allowed the powerful Russian to conserve energy and launch his attacks at opportune moments.

Gassiev claimed the regular WBA title last December after knocking out veteran Kubrat Pulev with a single punch in the sixth round. Kadiru had amassed nine consecutive victories since his only previous career loss – a sensational first-round knockout against Marcos Antonio Ahumada in 2022.

At a time when the heavyweight division is undergoing a significant shake-up, Gassiev's performance and the decisive finish of the bout ensure he will be a key figure in the restructuring of boxing's most prestigious division.