Heavyweight Otto Wallin of Sweden upset the odds and scored a minor surprise by edging ex-unified cruiserweight champion Murat Gassiev of Russia over twelve razor-close rounds with a split decision in a fight that could have gone either way.
Scores were: 115-113 (twice) for Wallin and 2ith the win in the IBF eliminator, Wallin is also scheduled to get a semi-prize #2 in the next International Boxing Federation's heavyweight ranks.
The bout took place at the Regnum Karya Hotel in Antalya, Turkey, and was promoted by the Russian side.
Both fighters came into this fight with relatively soft padding in their recent outings. WBO #8, IBF #9, and WBC #14 ranked Wallin, 32, scored three uninspiring points victories over the last two and a half years since scoring a solid win over Dominic Breazeale. WBA #11 and IBF #12 Gassiev, 29, fought inconclusively ever since his memorable loss to Olexander Usyk in the 2018 WBSS cruiserweight Grand Finale in Moscow, Russia. He scored four quick stoppage victories, but the opposition of the former WBA/IBF cruiserweight champion was regrettable, and pauses in his ring outings were too lengthy.
Against Wallin, the Russian puncher came in his arguably best shape with just 216 lbs at scale - his lightest frame over the last five years. However, it was the southpaw Swede who started better, using his quite potent right jab to measure and frustrate Gassiev. The first round was very cautious, and neither boxer landed a meaningful punch, but Wallin did better with his jab and lateral movement. In the second stanza, Wallin continued to work off his jab while the Russian pressed forward but didn't throw too many shots to put himself on notice.
Gassiev did better in the third. He managed to land two heavy right hands - once amid the round and once at its end, thus arguably snatching it. Wallin was still consistent with his front hand, but the tonnage was in the Russian's favor. 'Iron' (pronounced [Ee-Ron], not [Ai-Ron] - it's an old ethnonym of the Ossetian nation)
Gassiev added spice in the fourth, landing several nice body shots and reddening Wallin's right side. The Swede took them well and continued to follow his fight plan. It was a very close round. The next one was even closer, as both boxers did what their camps had told them to do with mixed results: Gassiev was pressing forward and tried to land hard punches, while Wallin was picking him apart without activating his left hand.
Round six was the most successful round of the fight for Wallin, who managed to temporarily rock his foe with a well-timed right hand to the jaw in a close-quarter exchange. Murat weathered the storm, and Otto was reluctant to unleash against a bigger puncher. Gassiev responded with a major right hand at the end of the round, which was in the Swede's favor.
Gassiev recovered well in the seventh, and both fighters continued to follow their favorite styles. It was a close round, but the Russian might have clinched it with a solid right hand with seconds remaining. Another close round followed in the eighth. Wallin fenced well with his right hand but threw no power shots. Oppositely, Gassiev lacked jabs and threw exclusively power shots but hardly landed anything clean.
Wallin once again turned back the tide in the ninth, while Murat wasn't that sharp, lacking precision and punch output. Mirroring the Russian's strategy, Otto scored several nice body shots (and peppered Gassiev with jabs of course) to snatch the tenth round.
The eleventh round could have gone either way, as both boxers played their game with little fatigue after ten previously fought rounds. Gassiev started the twelfth round at a very energetic pace and connected with some timely shots, but Wallin moved well laterally to prevent Murat from inflicting any damage. The Swede surged during the last minute of the round, bouncing Gassiev's head several times - both with bombs and jabs. Yet the final say was from the former cruiserweight stalwart who landed the last meaningful shot of this collision.
This reporter had it 115-114 for Gassiev, but the fight could have gone either way, and every card in between 116-112 for either fighter was acceptable. Still, one of the judges found room for controversy even in this fight, scoring it very off-mark 117-111 - for the Russian.
Wallin made it clear afterwards that he didn't see any reason for a rematch.
“I will not rematch him. Today everyone saw everything. I am stronger, a rematch is useless,” Wallin said.
Gassiev is now 30-2, with 23 KOs, while Wallin, who is still best known for his spirited loss to Tyson Fury four years ago, moves up to 26-1, with 14 KOs. Gassiev also lost his WBA Intercontinental title to Wallin.
The Russian's handlers was not pleased with the outcome.
“We don’t agree with the decision, the judges made the wrong decision. It looks like a robbery. Murat won at least eight rounds,” Gassiev's team explained in a statement to TASS.
Gassiev was supported by the pro-Russian crowd in this fight, including former NHL star and 2001 first-overall NHL draft pick Ilya Kovalchuk, an iconic figure in Russian hockey. The fight was co-promoted by Patriot Boxing, Ural Boxing and Complete Decision.