By Vadim Pushkin

Murat Gassiev (24-0-1, 17KOs) has followed the career of Denis Lebedev (29-3, 22KOs) for a long time, but he was very surprised with what he came against in the ring.

The 23-year-old fighter was able to outlast Lebedev on Saturday night in Moscow, Russia to capture the IBF cruiserweight title. Gassiev walked away with a twelve round split decision. The scores were 114-113 for Lebedev, 116-112 for Gassiev and 116-111 for Gassiev.

There is already talk of a potential rematch, because Lebedev decided not to stake his WBA world title, so both boxers walked out of the ring as world champions at the end of the night.

Gassiev, regarded as a feared puncher, sent the equally feared Lebedev down in the fifth round when he landed a vicious hook to the liver. Lebedev struggled to get to his feet, but he survived the round and fought Gassiev on equal terms for the rest of the way. 

Gassiev was impressed with Lebedev's power and his ability to take a punch. Both boxers landed flush shots on each other and showed off their sturdy chins in a hard-fought battle.

"He is very strong. Actually, I did not expect that he would be such a tough fighter. I've watched his fights, but he surprised me with his power. It was a very tough fight. He hits very hard. He showed character, courage, a true champion. He got up after I knocked him down. I inflicted some very good punches on him, but he withstood them and continued to box," Gassiev said.