Overview
- Murat Gassiev stopped short‑notice replacement Peter Kadiru in the sixth round on Saturday when Kadiru’s corner threw in the towel, preserving the champion’s WBA belt.
- Kadiru took the fight after Tony Yoka withdrew with a reported back injury, and the replacement carried a near 12.5 kg weight advantage on the official IBA weigh‑in.
- The result moved Gassiev to 34-2 with 27 knockouts and dropped Kadiru to 23-2, and the main event was held at Moscow’s VTB Arena on the IBA Pro 19 card and shown on DAZN.
- Gassiev had been elevated from WBA ‘regular’ to full heavyweight champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated his belts last month, a change that has left questions about the title’s wider legitimacy.
- The win consolidates Gassiev’s standing in a fractured heavyweight landscape but also highlights how late opponent changes, weight mismatches, and promoter politics can shape who gets title shots and how those wins are viewed.