While fans are perhaps already salivating over a potential unification clash between Murat Gassiev and Agit Kabayel, it could be some time before they finally indulge in the mouth-watering matchup.
It was reported earlier this month that Spencer Brown, the manager of WBC heavyweight champion Kabayel, is targeting Gassiev as a possible opponent for later this year.
But while the WBA champion is, indeed, looking to fight once more in 2026, he has equally told Boxing News that those comments came as a complete surprise.
“I woke up and saw some messages from my friends saying, ‘Hey, you’re fighting Kabayel’.
“But I never heard about this. After my fight [a sixth-round stoppage of Peter Kadiru earlier this month], I told my team: ‘Don’t talk to me about boxing, because now I’m spending time with my family’.
“After a couple of weeks, or maybe one month, we’ll start talking. But [the Kabayel unification rumours] are not true. This is fake news.
“But maybe it can happen after one fight, or a year. It’s a great fight. Agit is a great champion – a very strong fighter.”
While putting the Kabayel showdown on hold – for now, at least – Gassiev knows there are several other heavyweights he could face later this year.
Perhaps representing a more realistic option for 2027 but Moses Itauma, who faces Filip Hrgovic on August 29, will surely be sniffing around for a major title shot if he emerges victorious at London’s O2 Arena.
Having already expressed an interest in their possible encounter, Gassiev maintains his willingness to face the heavyweight prodigy on away soil.
“Moses is a young fighter, very talented. I think he has a good future. If they think [facing me] is the right fight after [Hrgovic], then let’s do it.
“I never run; I’m never scared. If this fight happens, I’ll come to the UK.”
Regardless of whether the Itauma fight materialises, Gassiev’s ultimate goal is to replicate his cruiserweight achievement and unify the heavyweight division.
The path towards doing so became clearer after Oleksandr Usyk, his former opponent, vacated his three world titles last month, affording Gassiev an upgrade from ‘regular’ to full WBA champion.
But even after becoming aware of this news, the 32-year-old felt no different to how he did following his sixth-round finish over Kubrat Pulev last December.
“For me, nothing changed. After the fight against Pulev, I had the regular title. But my dream is to be a [two-weight] unified world champion. I only go forward.”
Speaking of Usyk, Gassiev harbours no bitterness over how their careers unfolded after the Ukrainian emerged as the undisputed cruiserweight king in 2018.
“Usyk went left; I went right. He’s had a sensational career, whereas I went the other way and had a lot of injuries and some problems with promoters. But these things just made me stronger.”
Having made the necessary improvements at heavyweight, Gassiev believes he has the power to knock anyone out, whether it be against Kabayel, Itauma or some other opponent.
