Gassiev wins the World Boxing Association heavyweight title with a “knockout” in Dubai

Russian boxer Murat Gassiev was crowned the WBA heavyweight title, following his decisive victory over Bulgarian veteran Kubrat Pulev, in the main bout of the “Night of Champions – IBA Pro 13” event, which was held as part of the events accompanying the World Elite Men’s Boxing Championship “UAE 2025”, hosted by Dubai.

Gassiev decided the confrontation in the sixth round, after he delivered a strong, calculated left punch that knocked Pulev to the ground, ending the fight with a single knockout, confirming his technical and physical superiority in one of the most prominent fights of the global event.

In the rest of the fights, American Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of the late boxing legend Muhammad Ali, returned to winning ways, achieving a unanimous victory over Ugandan Jeremiah Serwadda, who lives in Dubai, in the middleweight competition, after a balanced performance that extended over six rounds.

Nico Ali raised his score to 12 wins against two defeats and one draw, presenting a mature show, amid the remarkable presence of a number of sports stars and legends who followed the fight from the VIP box, led by Manny Pacquiao, Terence Crawford, Deontay Wilder, Amir Khan, along with mixed martial arts stars Rampage Jackson and Henry Cejudo.

The evening witnessed a series of strong fights that the fans enjoyed, as the Venezuelan Yoel Fenol defeated the Uzbek Shakhobidin Zoirov in a rematch for the bantamweight title, and the Indian Faizan Anwar defeated the Russian Khosen Baysangurov in the lightweight, and the Russian Khariton Agrabah also defeated the Argentine Ruben Nestor Munoz in the super lightweight, and his compatriot Vadim Musayev defeated the South African Toulani Mbenge in the welterweight, while he was victorious. Uzbekistan’s Davut Aluf defeated American Dave Peñalosa in the super-middleweight division.

The World Elite Men’s Boxing Championship “UAE 2025” continues its activities in Dubai, amid wide participation from elite boxers, and unprecedented financial prizes amounting to 8 million US dollars, which enhances the event’s position as one of the most prominent international championships in the sport of boxing.