MOSCOW -- On July 21 the best cruiserweight on the planet will be crowed. Streaming on KlowdTV will be a cruiserweight unification fight with every single major belt on the line, as well as the Muhammad Ali trophy, given to the winner of the World Boxing Super Series. Attempting to attain cruiserweight supremacy will be Oleksandr Usyk (14-0, 11 KOs) and Murat Gassiev (26-0, 19 KOs). Usyk will be bringing his WBC and WBO titles to the ring while Gassiev will bring his IBF and WBA straps, although it doesn't really matter who's bringing what because the winner will leave with all of them.
Usyk is a southpaw with excellent power. He works behind a strong jab and will often follow it with an accurate and thudding straight left hand. Usyk also loves to throw uppercuts with the left and they can certainly do damage. The Ukrainian puncher isn't just a one handed fighter though, he can also do plenty of damage with his right hook. Making things even more difficult for Usyk's opponents is the fact that he isn't just a puncher, he also has plenty of skills and a solid chin. In his five year professional career Usyk has never met the canvas.
During his career Usyk has handed three fighters their first career loss, Mairis Briedis, Michael Hunter, and Krzysztof Glowacki. He also beat Marco Huck in 2017 and almost all of his career opponents had respectable records. Usyk has stayed fairly busy in recent years fighting twice in both 2016 and 2017 and already scoring a win in 2018. Now he will have the chance to not only win the World Boxing Super Series but also become the undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world. Standing in his way will be the much younger Gassiev.
Gassiev is an orthodox fighter who also has good pop on his punches. He has a stiff jab accompanied by a bruising left hook. Other weapons for the Russian native include a good right hand and an uppercut he throws with the left with some very bad intentions behind it. Gassiev likes to work in close and usually does a nice job of attacking the body. Defensively he has shown a good chin and has never been dropped but he doesn't use much head movement and his footwork isn't the best. Yet he does have a mean streak to him and can carry his one-punch knockout power into the championship rounds.
Gassiev turned pro when he was still a teenager and is now just 24 years old compared to Usyk who is 31. He fought a lot of soft touches early in his career but has faced plenty of good competition in recent years. The two best wins on his resume were against Denis Lebedev and Yunier Dorticos who he knocked out in the 12th round in early 2018. That knockout secured him the fight against Usyk and a chance to become the best cruiserweight on the planet.
This should be an absolutely fantastic fight and a possible contender for the 2018 Fight of the Year. Not only because so much is on the line but also because both Usyk and Gassiev are so good. Gassiev is the meaner of the two and seems to really enjoy punishing opponents. He likes to work on the inside and do damage to the body before landing massive shots upstairs. Usyk is a little more varied in his attack. He likes to throw a lot of different punches from a lot of different angles and is probably better at using both hands compared to Gassiev who does most of his damage with his left. Look for Gassiev to be a bit more aggressive as he tries to get inside and do damage. Meanwhile, Usyk should look to catch him on the way in and make him pay for trying to get to his body.
PREDICTION: This fight should be a brutal one and it's really a toss-up as to who will come out on top. If judges prefer the aggression of Murat Gassiev he could come away with the win. However, Oleksandr Usyk will do a fine job of tagging Gassiev with punches on his way in and he will get the victory by the way of split decision.
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| Usyk catching Krzysztof Glowacki with a massive left hand |
During his career Usyk has handed three fighters their first career loss, Mairis Briedis, Michael Hunter, and Krzysztof Glowacki. He also beat Marco Huck in 2017 and almost all of his career opponents had respectable records. Usyk has stayed fairly busy in recent years fighting twice in both 2016 and 2017 and already scoring a win in 2018. Now he will have the chance to not only win the World Boxing Super Series but also become the undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world. Standing in his way will be the much younger Gassiev.
Gassiev is an orthodox fighter who also has good pop on his punches. He has a stiff jab accompanied by a bruising left hook. Other weapons for the Russian native include a good right hand and an uppercut he throws with the left with some very bad intentions behind it. Gassiev likes to work in close and usually does a nice job of attacking the body. Defensively he has shown a good chin and has never been dropped but he doesn't use much head movement and his footwork isn't the best. Yet he does have a mean streak to him and can carry his one-punch knockout power into the championship rounds.
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| Gassiev working the body of an opponent with a left hook |
This should be an absolutely fantastic fight and a possible contender for the 2018 Fight of the Year. Not only because so much is on the line but also because both Usyk and Gassiev are so good. Gassiev is the meaner of the two and seems to really enjoy punishing opponents. He likes to work on the inside and do damage to the body before landing massive shots upstairs. Usyk is a little more varied in his attack. He likes to throw a lot of different punches from a lot of different angles and is probably better at using both hands compared to Gassiev who does most of his damage with his left. Look for Gassiev to be a bit more aggressive as he tries to get inside and do damage. Meanwhile, Usyk should look to catch him on the way in and make him pay for trying to get to his body.
PREDICTION: This fight should be a brutal one and it's really a toss-up as to who will come out on top. If judges prefer the aggression of Murat Gassiev he could come away with the win. However, Oleksandr Usyk will do a fine job of tagging Gassiev with punches on his way in and he will get the victory by the way of split decision.
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