Although there are many big names and lucrative possible contests for WBA regular heavyweight champion Murat Gassiev, it might be a surprise to hear who he wants to fight next.
Gassiev is not calling out Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, or even WBO heavyweight champion, but Sweden’s Otto Wallin.
The tall southpaw is one of only two men to have defeated the Russian – who won the title with a violent stoppage of Kubrat Pulev in Dubai last month – and Gassiev wants to fight the big Swede again having lost a split decision to Wallin in Turkey in 2023.
Wallin won on two cards 115-113 while the third judge favored Gassiev 117-112.
Gassiev, 33-2 (26 KOs), told the IBA.Pro social channels: “The only fight I would want if I were allowed to choose my opponent, I would choose Otto Wallin because I don’t agree with the decision. I believe I did not lose that fight, no matter how it may have looked from the outside. When judges score the round with such a wide margin, it feels like one judge was watching boxing and the others were watching cartoons. I would choose a rematch with him. As for the next opponent, we can do a unification fight. That will always be a top priority. We can also do a mandatory challenger. It really doesn’t matter who they put in front of me, that’s who I’ll box. In any case, you have to beat any opponent who stands across from you.”
The other loss on Gassiev’s record came in 2018, at cruiserweight, to Usyk.
