Murat Gassiev KOs Kubrat Pulev in brutal walk-off to win WBA heavyweight title

Considering the current career stages of both fighters, and observing Gassiev’s recent performance against Kubrat Pulev, a contest between the newly crowned WBA regular heavyweight champion and Moses Itauma presents an exciting prospect that could easily enhance an already packed schedule for Q1 2026.

In a different scenario, if not for the unparalleled talent of Oleksandr Usyk, Murat Gassiev, a former unified cruiserweight champion with victories over Denis Lebedev, Krzysztof Włodarczyk, and Yuniel Dorticos, might have defined the recent era in that weight class. His tenure in the heavyweight division had lacked significant highlights until now, but that has certainly been dramatically altered.

I find myself wanting to rewatch that knockout sequence repeatedly.

Pulev was likely ahead on points when the knockout occurred, but Gassiev utilized a feint, stepped to his left, and then altered his rhythm to unleash a devastating left hook that appeared to render Pulev instantly unconscious, causing him to collapse to the canvas. Pulev regained his bearings and tried to stand, but simply couldn’t. What an incredible conclusion!

Gassiev landed a powerful right hand to the body, but Pulev countered with an impressive three-punch combination: a left jab, right cross, and left uppercut – a superb series! AND OH MY WORD! GASSIEV CONNECTS WITH A FIGHT-ENDING LEFT HOOK! UNBELIEVABLE!

That blow came completely unexpectedly and then BAM!!! Pulev simply couldn’t get back up! What a shot! What an ending!

The fight risked becoming monotonous, but the pace intensified in the fifth round, with Pulev initiating the offense after early success in the round, and Gassiev matching his aggression. This is much better! Pulev repeatedly struck Gassiev with a stepping two-punch combination. But Gassiev fought back! Things are heating up! Pulev landed a right cross upstairs that Gassiev could have arguably evaded. Pulev’s one-two punch remains a consistently effective sequence at this point.

Round 5: 48-47 — Pulev

Oh! Gassiev landed the most impressive combination of the night with a left hook-right hand, and although Pulev appeared to brush it off, the impact visibly sprayed sweat and saliva from him.

Round 4: 38-38

It’s noteworthy that, despite the age disparity, it is Gassiev who seems the more seasoned, somewhat slower fighter, as he struggles to avoid Pulev’s punches. He connected to the body, but we are still anticipating a rise in action here.

Round 3: 29-28 — Pulev

Gassiev advanced with jabs and right hands, one of which he sharply drove into Pulev’s midsection, aiming to target the ribs. Gassiev boxed with significantly more intent in the second round. Pulev maintained advantages with his lead left hand, which he skillfully varied as a feint or a direct strike. Gassiev kept his elbows tight to protect his body.

Round 2: 19-19

The WBA title bout began tentatively, with Pulev controlling the center of the ring, but both fighters were content to stand their ground, feint, and analyze each other. While neither truly surged ahead, Pulev likely secured the opening round by landing more frequent power punches.

Round 1: 10-9 — Pulev

Kubrat Pulev faces Murat Gassiev!

The consequences are substantial. Promoter Al Siesta has already expressed his desire to pit the victor against Britain’s rapidly emerging heavyweight, Moses Itauma, who possesses a style reminiscent of Mike Tyson.

Gassiev holds a notable age advantage, being 12 years younger than Pulev, yet both competitors bring considerable experience from this level of competition.

It appears to be an opportune moment to preview the broader boxing schedule on DAZN, which is quite active in the coming months. Among the events listed, I am particularly looking forward to the Inoue vs. Picasso show in Saudi Arabia on December 27, the rematch between Rocha and Curiel—having witnessed the first fight ringside, it was a thrilling encounter—and Teofimo vs. Shakur. However, there are also several less prominent but potentially exciting matchups beyond these major attractions.

… and Usmonov clinches the win!

One judge scored the bout a 114-114 draw, which seems a fair assessment, but these scores were overturned by two judges scoring 116-112 and 115-113.

Hughes concluded the fight strongly, in my opinion winning both championship rounds to regain the lead, but this was an exceptionally difficult fight to judge.

Round 12: 115-113 — Hughes

Hughes perhaps demonstrated his 12-round experience in the 11th, averting a near collapse, as he capitalized on Usmonov’s lack of prior fights longer than 10 rounds. He consistently landed his right hand on his opponent’s head, reverting to the skillful boxing that earned him the early rounds.

Round 11: 105-104 — Hughes

Hughes had performed exceptionally well in the initial five rounds, dominating the early exchanges, but has subsequently conceded the next five rounds entirely to Usmonov. It’s an arduous battle, but Hughes eased off the pressure, and the scores are surely even, or nearly so, at a critical juncture in the fight.

Round 10: 95-95

Usmonov rattled Hughes with a cunning one-two combination to the body and head, culminating with an uppercut. Hughes is exerting maximum effort to counteract Usmonov’s momentum, but it remains the Tajikistani’s round.

Round 9: 86-85 — Hughes

Both combatants traded powerful blows and sequences of punches at close quarters. Usmonov returned to utilizing his jab and forceful strikes, and Hughes needs to find a response to the numerous questions being posed in the middle of the fight, before this courageous comeback is fully achieved.

Round 8: 77-75 — Hughes

Usmonov is now progressively closing in on Hughes, and this fight appears significantly different in the seventh round compared to the initial four or five rounds. His primary assets are his range and selection of punches.

Round 7: 68-65 — Hughes

Usmonov desperately needed to shift the momentum, and it had been steadily building, as he finally claimed the sixth round, beginning to narrow the lead held by the British road warrior.

Round 6: 59-55 — Hughes