With Moses Itauma fighting Filip Hrgovic for the vacant IBF strap on August 29, Murat Gassiev suspects his next heavyweight title defence is practically set in stone.
The Russian was elevated from ‘Regular’ to full WBA champion ahead of his last outing, a routine sixth-round stoppage of Peter Kadiru in July.
This was because Oleksandr Usyk had decided to vacate his heavyweight belts, affording Gassiev an upgrade following his title-winning knockout of Kubrat Pulev last December.
Itauma, meanwhile, is gearing up for an IBF world title challenge at London’s O2 Arena, effectively forgoing his WBA mandatory position.
This therefore means that Jarrell Miller, the sanctioning body’s next highest-ranked heavyweight, is likely to become the leading contender for Gassiev’s black and gold strap.
Even now, ‘Big Baby’ is perhaps best known for failing multiple doping tests, most notably ahead of his cancelled clash with Anthony Joshua in 2019.
Since then, the American has hardly set the world alight but did hold Andy Ruiz Jr to a 12-round draw in 2024, when many felt he deserved to emerge victorious.
Now coming off a unanimous decision triumph over Lenier Pero in April, Miller is set to secure his first world title shot before long.
Speaking with Sky Sports, Gassiev even admitted to having already received an offer from Team Miller and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
“Yes, if there is an offer regarding Jarrell Miller. We are of course interested.”
“Furthermore, if Moses Itauma decides to pursue the IBF route [which he has], Jarrell Miller will become an official contender for my WBA title, making the fight inevitable for me.
“We are also highly interested in a fight with Agit Kabayel. If a concrete agreement is reached and this fight begins to materialise, I would gladly sign up for a unification bout.”
Like Gassiev, Kabayel was upgraded to full champion after claiming his WBC ‘interim’ title with a sixth-round stoppage of Zhilei Zhang in February 2025.
