Murat Gassiev’s team has formally objected to reports that Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua could fight for the WBA “super” heavyweight title on December 11. Gassiev already holds the WBA world title. If the organization creates a higher title for the Cardiff fight, he could be pushed into second place without losing his belt in the ring.
Gassiev became the WBA’s sole heavyweight champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated his title, then defended it against Peter Kadiru in July. The WBA currently lists Gassiev as its heavyweight world champion and lists no “super” champion above him.
“If anyone should be fighting for the WBA Super heavyweight title, it is Murat Gassiev, the reigning champion, not two boxers who currently hold no world title between them,” Gassiev’s co-promoter and legal counsel John Wirt told talkSPORT.
Wirt says his team has asked the WBA to confirm or deny the reports and explain the grounds for any decision. That puts the organization in an awkward position. It has promoted a plan to reduce the number of champions in each division; creating a second heavyweight champion would move it in the other direction.
The money is hard to ignore. A Fury–Joshua stadium fight would give a WBA belt far more exposure than Gassiev’s next defense, and a major event could bring the organization a larger sanctioning fee. That is a reason to scrutinize the proposed decision, though there is no evidence that the WBA has made one for financial reasons.
Fury and Joshua do not need a title to sell their fight. Gassiev does need the WBA to explain why the belt he defended would suddenly sit beneath another one. His objection makes it harder for the organization to quietly present the Cardiff winner as its top heavyweight champion.
The WBA has not announced that its “super” title will be at stake. Until it does, the proposed title fight remains a report, and Gassiev remains the champion on its own list.
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