Gassiev to defend WBA heavyweight title vs. late replacement Kadiru

Replaces Yoka, who withdrew with a back injury, in Saturday's fight

WBA heavyweight titlist Murat Gassiev

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WBA heavyweight titlist Murat Gassiev will make his first defense against Peter Kadiru, who signed as a late replacement on Monday.

The fight will headline an IBA Pro card on Saturday at VTB Arena in Moscow. Although it has not been announced yet, a source with knowledge of the plans told Fight Freaks Unite that DAZN is poised add it to its schedule also.

Kadiru took the fight on less than a week’s notice after original challenger Tony Yoka (15-3, 12 KOs), 34, the 2016 French Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist, suffered a back injury during training and was forced to withdraw from the bout on Thursday.

Yoka is expected to be sidelined for less than month and promoters IBA and Epic Sports & Entertainment could have postponed the fight but preferred to move forward with it this week with a replacement opponent.

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“I was fully prepared and ready for Tony Yoka, but boxing is unpredictable and champions must adapt,” Gassiev said. “Peter Kadiru is a big, strong, experienced fighter with a solid amateur pedigree and real power. Fighting at home in Moscow in front of my Russian fans for my first defense is special. I will be ready and I intend to keep the WBA world heavyweight title in Russia.”

Kadiru (23-1, 13 KOs), 29, of Germany, has won nine fights in a row since his lone defeat, a first-round knockout to journeyman Marcos Antonio Aumada in November 2022 in his hometown of Hamburg, Germany.

Kadiru, who is coming off a unanimous 10-round decision over Senad Gashi on May 15 in Mannheim, Germany, got the fight over the other potential replacement, Brandon Moore (19-1, 10 KOs), 32, of Lakeland, Florida, a source with knowledge of opponent search told FFU.

“Since my win over Senad Gashi, I’ve been in the gym training and wanting to be back in the ring,” Kadiru said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to travel to Russia and challenge for the WBA heavyweight world title. This is my moment. My team and I are locked in and Moscow should get ready for a big performance.”

Gassiev (33-2, 26 KOs), 32, who is a former unified cruiserweight titlist before losing the belts to Oleksandr Usyk by shutout decision in their four-belt unification fight for the undisputed title in 2018, was down on all three scorecards and having a lot of problems with Kubrat Pulev before dramatically winning the WBA belt by crushing one-punch knockout in the sixth round in December in Dubai.

Gassiev won the WBA “regular” title while lineal and unified champion Usyk held the WBA “super” title among his various belts. But when Usyk announced he was vacating his titles on June 26 it left Gassiev as the lone WBA heavyweight titleholder.

“When Tony Yoka unfortunately had to withdraw, we worked closely with our Russian partners to protect the integrity of this world heavyweight championship,” Epic Sports & Entertainment chairman John Wirt said. “We were never interested in simply finding a replacement. We wanted to find the right replacement. Peter Kadiru ticks every box. This is not going to be an easier fight for Murat. Kadiru may prove to be an even more dangerous opponent because he comes in with everything to gain and nothing to lose. We’re delighted that the event remains intact.”

Those involved said Joe Joyce, who is on the undercard, was not seriously considered as a replacement for Yoka.

England’s Joyce (16-4, 15 KOs), 40, a former WBO interim titlist, returns from a 15-month layoff and back-to-back 10-round decision losses to Filip Hrgovic and Derek Chisora looking to inject new life into his fading career against Artem Suslenkov (14-0, 9 KOs), 30, of Russia, in the co-feature.

In another undercard bout, former WBA bridgerweight titlist Muslim Gadzhimagomedov (6-0, 3 KOs), 29, the 2020 Russian Olympic heavyweight silver medalist, will face Kevin Martinez (14-1, 10 KOs), 26, of Mexico, in a 10-rounder.

It will be Gadzhimagomedov’s first bout since a shutout 10-round decision over former cruiserweight title challenger Thabiso Mchunu on January 2025.

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Gassiev photo: Valery Sharifulin/IBA