Who Is Next For Murat Gassiev?

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Heavyweight Murat Gassiev (34-2, 27 KOs) picked up a sixth-round technical stoppage over Peter Kadiru (23-2, 13 KOs) on Saturday at VTB Arena in Moscow, Russia.

Gassiev currently holds the WBA heavyweight title after being elevated (or promoted, so to speak) following undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk’s decision to give up his titles, as he is rumored to take a farewell fight sometime in the future.

Gassiev is probably best known for his years in the cruiserweight division, where he was one of Usyk’s biggest tests in the WBSS tournament. I also wrote about him this week at The Good Fight. If we are being honest, Gassiev has become a desirable foe for many. At 32, he looks older than that and slower than he did in his prime – not Joe Joyce slow, but not too far behind. We hear about the dreaded high-risk, low reward; Gassiev is the opposite. He is a high-reward, lower-risk opponent in a glamour division.

Let’s look at five opponents who could face him, ending with the most likely.

Lawrence Okolie

Why: Another cruiserweight who moved to heavyweight

Okolie currently has a situation outside of the ring, as he turned up an adverse drug test finding in April before facing Tony Yoka. Okolie was a good cruiserweight in the era after Usyk and Gassiev left the division. It is a fine fight that would have been fun at cruiserweight and is alright at heavyweight.

Tony Yoka

Why: It should have happened

Yoka was set to fight Gassiev, but roughly a week before the fight, he had to withdraw. The bout would have pitted two promising fighters, in the twilight of their careers, for a belt. Is it a sexy fight – no! Would it serve as a decent test for both – yes.

Joseph Parker

Why: Put it or shut up, part two

The tagline for the Rolando Romero vs. Teofimo Lopez fight could be fitting here. Since Fabio Wardley stopped Parker in October, he hasn’t been heard from. It isn’t a glowing endorsement for a fighter coming off a loss to get a title fight, but it would be interesting to see Parker, who revived his career from 2023 to 2025, face a titleholder who doesn’t feel like a long-term champ.

Moses Itauma

Why: Good first title win for Moses

Gassiev poses little threat to Itauma based on the eye test. Itauma looks the part of the next big British fighter. It is probably the best fight that could be made with Gassiev to see if Itauma could win a title fight. I think we all believe we already know the answer, which is yes.

Derek Chisora

Why: They got in the ring and yelled at each other

Chisora is a 42-year-old heavyweight who just lost to the ghost of Deontay Wilder earlier this year. My interest in this bout is muted, but they got in the ring and yelled at each other after the fight. So, there is a strong chance Gassiev will take on Chisora at some point in the fall or in the first quarter of 2027.