Issue Murata Gassieva is to focus on training, he slowed down after beating Cuban Yuniel Dorticos, says former WBA and IBF world boxing champion Denis Lebedev .
On Saturday in Belek, Turkey, Gassiev lost by split decision to Swede Otto Wallin in the fight for the WBA Inter Continental heavyweight title. Lebedev and Gassiev fought in 2016, Murat won. Gassiev defeated Cuban Dorticos by technical knockout in February 2018.
“It is not for nothing that there were disagreements in the judgment; one judge saw it his way, others saw it differently. The battle was close, some saw Gassiev’s victory, others saw the enemy’s victory. If I were a judge, I would give it to Murat.
— Wallin said after the fight that he was not in favor of a rematch. Would a repeat fight be interesting?
-What does this have to do with whether you agree or not? If the contract does not provide for it, it is his right. It would be an interesting revenge. It seemed to me that Murat had given everything. If he was sure that according to the grades he was losing, he would have increased.
— What do you think is Gassiev’s problem? In 2018, he showed promise, then he lost to Usik and, as a result, probably didn’t live up to all expectations.
— The problem is concentration in training. Apparently, Murat has other things to do in his life than boxing. In the past, he made his living from boxing. Time passes, a person grows up, life priorities change, figuratively speaking – wife, girlfriend, children. What hinders an athlete’s career. A professional must give his all, like going to work. After his victory against Dorticos, Gassiev slowed down, everyone can see that,” Lebedev told .
Wallin took second place in the IBF rankings, which was vacant before the fight.
Former WBA and IBF cruiserweight champion Gassiev has 30 victories (23 by KO) and two defeats. The Russian has been competing in the heavyweight division since the fall of 2020 and has earned four debut victories during that time. In March this year, Gassiev received Armenian citizenship.
Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
