DUBAI – Murat Gassiev has cut a composed figure ahead of his heavyweight showdown with Kubrat Pulev.
Gassiev, a former unified cruiserweight champion, is challenging for Pulev’s WBA “regular” heavyweight title on the IBA Champions Fight Night on Friday at the Duty Free Tennis Stadium.
“I’m not a kid – it’s not my first day in this sport,” said the relaxed 32 year old. “I have some experience; I have had championship fights. I like the atmosphere here and I feel comfortable.”
The mood has been respectful between the pair.
“First, he’s champion,” Gassiev told BoxingScene. “He’s had a lot of fights. He’s fought with [Anthony] Joshua; with [Wladimir] Klitschko; with the top heavyweights in the division and he has heart; he’s a warrior because he goes down and stands up, and continues fighting. It’s one of the toughest fights of my career. He’s a great champion and a great person.”
On the eve of Friday’s contest Gassiev has been asked about possible future fights with WBA number one Moses Itauma and former WBC champion Deontay Wilder, who is going to be ringside.
But the Russian, who has steadfastly said his mind is only on the task at hand, insists he has not been distracted by that line of questioning from media members over what might come next.
“Because people who love boxing love fights and they ask, ‘Who’s next? Who’s next?’ and they want to see real fights with strong opponents against each other, but I can’t say what will happen after this fight because my focus is on this fight. I’m not frustrated with people asking, asking, asking… It’s normal. Journalists have questions, but I always have focus on my next fight.”
And so Pulev is in his sights, and he rates the Bulgarian veteran highly.
“I look at Kubrat – he’s 44 only in numbers,” said Gassiev. “He’s got a good body; he’s got a good head; he’s smart; he speaks well, but this professional sport is not healthy. We lose a lot of our health; [we get] some injuries; I understand professional boxing is a very dangerous sport.
“We hit each other in the head and body but it’s my choice. I take this decision and I go forward with it as far as I can. My health is important. If I feel I’m not ready for training or fights, I won’t fight.”
The recent spate of positive doping tests has captured many headlines, but Gassiev is under no doubt what should happen to those who fail them.
“It’s very bad when people start using steroids,” he said. “It makes it unfair sport and it’s very dangerous. [If] you take some steroids, I’m clean, and you can kill me because you have more-than-normal power and for me, people who are doping should be disqualified forever – not for one year, two years, because if you use one time, you’re still using. Only make one decision. If one guy is champion, doesn’t matter who, if his doping test is positive, disqualify him forever and nobody will do it. That’s my opinion.”
Gassiev said it was the gruelling lengths he had to go to make 200lbs that involved him making the jump from cruiserweight, where his only loss came to Oleksandr Usyk. He’s 7-1 at heavyweight, with the lone loss coming to another southpaw in Sweden’s Otto Wallin.
He could still make cruiserweight, but it is something Gassiev knows he would not enjoy.
“Yes, but it would be too hard,” he said. “It was a big stress for my body and it was impossible when I went to the gym – I trained not for boxing skill, only for losing weight and I made the decision to move to heavyweight.”
Usyk moved up a fight later, having added the scalp of Tony Bellew, and the Ukrainian has gone on to dominate his second division. That has come as no shock to Gassiev.
“I’m not surprised because firstly he was an Olympic champion,” said Gassiev. “He was unified champion at cruiserweight and he’s a big guy because I’ve seen him have to lose 12 or 13 kilograms and I think heavyweight is a comfortable division for him.”
Gassiev hopes to have heavyweight gold around his waist on Friday night, too – just don’t ask him what’s next until after the final bell.
