Former cruiserweight champion Murat Gassiev has signed with Matchroom Boxing, as expected, and will make his heavyweight debut in June.
Delighted to announce the signing of unified Cruiserweight champion @MuratGassiev - making the move to the heavyweight division in June! @DAZN_USA @SkySportsBoxing #warriors #ural pic.twitter.com/TOPRDTcg0y
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) April 18, 2019
I, like some of the other commenters, am getting an ominous vibe from Gassiev (26-1, 19 KO) debuting in June, as Anthony Joshua is currently in desperate need of an opponent on the 1st. One would hope they don’t go that route. but it’s hard to get the worry out of your head once it’s wriggled in there.
“Iron” enjoyed an extremely strong run at 200 pounds, consecutively defeating Denis Lebedev, Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, and Yuniel Dorticos before falling to Oleksandr Usyk last July in the Super Series finals.
Any suggestions for a debut opponent? Dillian Whyte doesn’t have a dance partner at the moment, and neither does Joseph Parker. There’s also the winners of Dave Allen-Lucas Browne and Dereck Chisora-Senad Gashi this Saturday if Hearn and co. prefer a lighter touch.