Pulev vs Gassiev Predictions: A decent scrap but the ‘regular’ belt belongs in a bin

WBA ‘regular’ heavyweight champion Kubrat Pulev defends his title against former unified cruiserweight kingpin Murat Gassiev this Friday, December 12. The bout takes place at the Duty Free Tennis Stadium in Dubai. The card will air live on YouTube on the IBA Boxing channel.

Read on for my Pulev vs Gassiev predictions.

Pulev vs Gassiev Odds

Champion Pulev is 11/4 to triumph here, with the fact he is 44 years of age perhaps playing a factor. Gassiev is fresher at 32 and he’s your 3/10 favourite for this one. The draw is marketed at 16/1.

Pulev vs Gassiev Fight Preview

Pulev and Gassiev clash this Friday in Dubai for the heavyweight championship of the world. That is what the record books will show. That is what the World Boxing Association’s own missives will reflect. World heavyweight champion Kubrat Pulev taking on Murat Gassiev. 

Bollocks. Absolute, unadulterated bollocks. Anyone with even a passing interest in the sport of professional boxing knows that Oleksandr Usyk is the WBA, IBF, WBC and The Ring champion. The fact that the organisation calls him the ‘WBA super’ champion just so they can collect sanctioning fees for lowly ‘regular’ belts is a spurious stain on a sport lost beneath the blemishes.

To put it in the simplest of terms, the following men have held the ‘super’ designation: Wladimir Klitschko, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Andy Ruiz Jr and Usyk. The ‘regular’ roll call reads as follows: Alexander Povetkin, Ruslan Chagaev, Lucas ‘Big Daddy’ Browne, Mahmoud Charr, Trevor Bryan, Daniel Dubois and Pulev.

I will let you be the judge of the relative qualities of the WBA ‘regular’ heavyweight championship.

What we do have is a fight. Beyond the indignity of trying to pass this off to the public as a world title affair, the fight itself is decent. Pulev is largely finished at the top level but he is coming off a run of three victories. Gassiev was an elite cruiserweight and has so far proved himself as a solid enough heavyweight.

Pulev will be best known to longtime boxing fans for being a genuine contender a decade ago. The big Bulgarian is a former European champion and has beaten the likes of Tony Thompson, Alexander Dimitrenko and Michael Sprott. His success earned Pulev a crack at unified champion Wladimir Klitschko, who knocked him out in five rounds in 2014.

Pulev punched his way back into contention with a hotly-disputed decision win over Derek Chisora, a knockout win over ex-WBC king Samuel Peter and victories over former challengers Kevin Johnson and Hughie Fury. 

But Pulev came up short when the title was on the line once again in December 2020, losing in nine rounds to heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. ‘The Cobra’ is 4-1 since, with a revenge win for Chisora pitched against victories over the likes of Jerry Forrest and WBA ‘regular’ holder Charr for this nonsense title.

Gassiev has tasted genuine championship success down at cruiserweight. The Russian dethroned Denis Lebedev for the IBF title back in 2016. Gassiev knocked off former champions Krzysztof Wlodarczyk and Yuniel Dorticos in the World Boxing Super Series, before succumbing to Usyk in an undisputed title unification in the final.

A nomadic experience followed for Gassiev. The 32-year-old has gone 6-1 at heavyweight, beating the likes of former Tyson Fury foe Nuri Seferi and the then-unbeaten Mike Balogun. Gassiev’s only loss in the blue riband division was a split decision defeat to Otto Wallin.

There were other avenues available. Britain’s 20-year-old knockout artist Moses Itauma is actually the mandatory challenger for Pulev’s belt. The WBA ruminated on preventing this bout from proceeding, at least as a championship affair. But the organisation backed down and now the idea is that either Pulev or Gassiev will fight Itauma next if the prospect comes through his January battle with Jermaine Franklin.

What does seem highly unlikely is either of Friday’s combatants using the WBA ‘regular’ title for the purpose that the organisation always argued it served. It is impossible to see either Pulev or Gassiev cashing in their belt to face true divisional king Usyk. Which tells you all you need to know about where this ‘world title’ fight sits in the overall boxing landscape.

Pulev vs Gassiev Full Card

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Pulev vs Gassiev Prediction

Gassiev is younger, fresher and more accomplished. Pulev is a spoiler and a good one. But his time has passed and his stint as a true threat at the top level is over. I reckon he makes this one uncomfortable for the former cruiserweight, but I’m picking Gassiev to emerge victorious. Pulev's only stoppage defeats have come to Klitschko and AJ. Gassiev does not hit like that. Expect him to pick up a decision victory at 12/5.

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