Murat Gassiev KOs Kubrat Pulev in Dubai

Today’s bout between defending WBA “regular” champion Kubrat Pulev and Murat Gassiev at Dubai was ballyhooed as an historic event, the first world heavyweight title fight in the United Arab Emirates. Gassiev claimed the title with a one-punch knockout, discombobulating Pulev with a short left hook to the jaw, bringing what had been a tactical fight with no indelible moments to a sudden conclusion.

The punch knocked Pulev flat on his back. He rolled over on his side in a futile attempt to rise and when it became plain that he wouldn’t beat the count, referee Rafael Ramos waived it off. The official time was 0:50 of round six.

A 32-year-old Russian, Murat Gassiev (33-2, 26 KOs) is a former IBF and WBC cruiserweight champion. Recognized as a murderous puncher, he was chalked a very slight favorite to defeat Oleksandr Usyk when they met in 2018 in the finals of the World Boxing Super Series cruiserweight tournament with all four belts on the line. Usyk gave him a boxing lesson and Gassiev resurfaced 27 months later as a heavyweight.

This may be the end of the line for Bulgaria’s Pulev (32-4) who turned 44 years old in October. Heading in, the two-time world title challenger hadn’t won a fight inside the distance in six-and-a-half years.

Although the WBA’s “regular” belt carries little esteem, Gassiev certified himself as a major player in the heavyweight division with his triumph today. Per the WBA, his next fight will come against British sensation Moses Itauma.

Don’t hold your breath, but a Gassiev-Itauma fight would be very intriguing. Itauma would likely prove too quick for him, but if the heavy-handed Russian lands first, it could be lights out for the phenom.

Other Bouts of Note

In a bout billed as a WBA lightweight title eliminator, Tajikistan’s two-time Olympian Bakhodor Usmonov did his best work in the homestretch to cop a majority decision over England’s Maxi Hughes. The scores were 116-112, 115-113, and 114-114.

It was far from an impressive showing for the undefeated (12-0, 5 KOs) Usmonov who was expected to have an easier time with the 35-year-old Hughes (29-8-2), a solid pro but a boxer lacking a hard punch.

With the win, Usmonov becomes next in line to challenge Gervonta Davis, but a more likely scenario is a “final eliminator” with Floyd “Kid” Austin.

Russian heavyweight Artem Suslenkov, whose signature win was an 8-round decision over Mike “The Bounty” Hunter, advanced to 15-0 (9 KOs) with a sixth-round stoppage of North Carolina journeyman Stanley Wright (14-2) who was gassed out when the end came.

In a bout that may or may not appear on his record at boxrec, well-traveled Nico Ali Walsh improved to 13-2-1 with a 6-round unanimous decision over Jeremiah Sserwadda, A 26-yeae-old Ugandan, Sserwadda (12-5-1) has been living and training in Dubai. The scores were 59-55 and 58-56 twice.

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