IBA Pro 19: Dominant Gassiev Halts Kadiru

In Six Rounds To Retain WBA Heavyweight Title!

Saturday, July 11th, VTB Arena, Moscow, Russia: In the main event of IBA Pro 19, Vladikavkaz, Russia, former IBF & WBA Cruiserweight Champion, Murat Gassiev successfully defended his WBA Heavyweight World title, forcing Hamburg, Germany’s, Peter Kadiru to retire in the sixth round.

From the opening bell, Gassiev took control of the center of the ring and patiently applied pressure, looking to establish his right hand while investing early in body attacks. Kadiru remained disciplined behind his guard and looked to use his movement, but the champion steadily closed the distance.

The second round saw Gassiev increase the intensity. His right hand began to find the target with greater regularity, while left hooks to both the head and body slowed the German challenger. The Russian continued to dictate the pace, forcing Kadiru onto the ropes and making him work under constant pressure.

As the fight progressed, Gassiev’s body punching became a decisive factor. He repeatedly trapped Kadiru along the ropes and landed heavy combinations to the body and head. Although the German showed resilience and occasionally responded with sharp counters, he struggled to keep the champion off him for sustained periods.

Kadiru enjoyed his best spell in the fifth round, finding more success with his own attacks and making the contest more competitive. However, Gassiev remained in control, continuing to land the cleaner and more powerful punches.

The champion raised the tempo once again in the sixth round. Gassiev pinned Kadiru on the ropes and unleashed a series of heavy, accurate combinations that left the challenger with no answer. Seeing their fighter under sustained pressure, Kadiru’s corner threw in the towel, bringing the contest to an immediate end.

The victory marked the first successful defence of the WBA heavyweight title Gassiev won at IBA PRO 13 and further strengthened his position among the leading names in the division. Gassiev improves to 34-2, 27Ko’s as Tony Yoka late replacement, Peter Kadiru slips to 23-2, 13Ko’s.

The co-main event saw Volgograd, Russia’s, Artem Suslenkov deliver the standout performance of his professional career, stopping Putney, London, former 2016 Olympic Silver Medalist, Joe “Juggernaut” Joyce (GBR) in the 11th round to retain the WBA Continental heavyweight title.

Despite conceding height and reach, Suslenkov immediately imposed his game plan. The unbeaten Russian pressed forward from the opening bell, forcing Joyce to fight off the back foot and repeatedly looking to land his powerful left hook. Joyce responded with his jab and used his size effectively in the clinches, but he struggled to establish the long-range rhythm that has served him throughout his career.

As the fight settled, Suslenkov’s pressure only intensified. The Russian consistently closed the distance, landed heavy hooks and combinations, and dictated the pace through the middle rounds. Joyce showed his trademark toughness, absorbing punishment without going down, but increasingly found himself reacting rather than taking the initiative.

By the championship rounds, the momentum was entirely with Suslenkov. Although the tempo slowed at times, the Russian continued to walk Joyce down and land the more telling punches, gradually breaking down the experienced Briton.

The sustained pressure finally proved decisive in the 11th round. After another series of heavy exchanges, Joyce indicated that he could no longer continue, bringing the contest to an end.

The technical knockout victory marks the biggest result of Suslenkov’s career and further strengthens his position among the leading heavyweight contenders.

The 30-year-old, Suslenkov remains unbeaten at 15-0, 10Ko’s while the 40-year-old, Joyce, 1-4 in his last four outings falls to 16-5, 15Ko’s.

Saint Petersburg, Russia’s, Pavel Sosulin, the WBA’s No. 1-ranked contender at super welterweight, extended his unbeaten record with a unanimous decision victory over El Tigre, Venezuela’s, pro-debuting Eddy “El Terrible” Colmenares in a competitive 10-round contest.

Sosulin immediately took the initiative, pressing forward behind his trademark aggression, while the experienced Colmenares stood his ground and looked to box at his preferred range. The Venezuelan enjoyed success late in the second round, landing several heavy punches, but Sosulin responded instantly and rocked his opponent before the bell.

The middle rounds developed into an entertaining battle of attrition. Sosulin repeatedly backed Colmenares towards the ropes and invested heavily in body shots, gradually slowing the Venezuelan, while Colmenares continued to answer with dangerous combinations of his own.

Both boxers emptied the tank in a thrilling final round, exchanging heavy punches in search of a stoppage. After 10 action-packed rounds, the judges awarded Sosulin a unanimous decision, preserving both his unbeaten record and his position among the leading contenders in the division. Pavel Sosulin moves to 4-0, 2Ko’s as Colmenares starts out 0-1.

Yaroslavl, Russia, 20-year-old, pro-debuting Vyacheslav Rogozin earned a unanimous decision victory over General Santos City, Philippines, 26-year-old, southpaw, RV “The Crusher” Deniega (PHI) in their six-round bantamweight contest.

Rogozin maintained control over the distance and produced the cleaner work across the fight, doing enough to secure the verdict on all three judges’ scorecards.

Vyacheslav Rogozin kicks off 1-0 as RV Deniega with consecutive losses drops to 12-4, 8Ko’s.

Moscow, Russia, 29-year-old, Arslan Yallyev delivered an authoritative heavyweight performance, stopping Budennovsk, Russia, 38-year-old, Murad “Champion” Khalidov in the third round.

Khalidov immediately tried to close the distance and force the action, while Yallyev switched between stances and used his jab to keep the fight at long range. The difference in reach quickly became decisive, with Khalidov taking several shots as he attempted to move inside.

Late in the second round, Yallyev caught Khalidov with a sharp uppercut and sent him down heavily. He pressed forward again at the start of the third, breaking through his opponent’s defence with a series of powerful punches. After Khalidov was forced into a standing count, referee Andrey Kurnyavka stopped the bout.  Yallyev improves to 17-2, 12Ko’s Murad Khalidov with his first defeat slips to 12-1, 6Ko’s

Makhachkala, Russia's, Sharabutdin Ataev took a major step towards a world title opportunity, defeating Tijuana, Mexico based 35-year-old, Venezuelan former WBA Champion, Jose “Bolivita” Uzcategui by unanimous decision in their light heavyweight title eliminator.

Uzcategui made an aggressive start, pressing forward and looking to dictate the pace, while Ataev boxed patiently off the back foot, timing his counters and making good use of his movement. As the fight developed, the Venezuelan enjoyed spells of success, particularly when he was able to force exchanges at close range.

Ataev gradually found his rhythm, increasing his lateral movement and putting together sharper combinations to edge the majority of the rounds. Although Uzcategui remained dangerous throughout, the Russian consistently responded with the cleaner and more accurate work.

After 12 rounds, the judges awarded Ataev a unanimous decision, making the unbeaten Russian the official WBA mandatory challenger in the light heavyweight division. Ataev stays unbeaten at 10-0, 5Ko’s as Uzcategui with the loss drops to 34-6, 29Ko’s.

Vladikavkaz, Russia, 27-year-old, David Dzukaev, preserved his unbeaten record with a unanimous decision victory over Obninsk, Russia, 35-year-old, Aleksei Egorov, after an action-packed cruiserweight contest.

The fight exploded into life in the opening round. Egorov looked to apply his trademark pressure, but Dzukaev responded with sharp, accurate combinations and capped a superb start by sending the former world title challenger to the canvas with a powerful hook just before the bell.

Egorov quickly recovered and turned the bout into a physical battle, pressing forward throughout the middle rounds and forcing Dzukaev to work at a relentless pace. The younger boxer continued to fire back with dangerous counters, and in the closing seconds of the ninth round he briefly hurt Egorov with a flurry of punches.

After 10 competitive rounds, the judges awarded Dzukaev a unanimous decision, extending his unbeaten professional record. Dzukaev advances to 12-0, 7Ko’s as Egorov 1-3 in his last four bouts drops to 13-4, 9Ko’s.

Serpukhov, Russia’s, Muslim Gadzhimagomedov delivered one of the most convincing performances of the evening, forcing Ensenada, Mexico’s, Kevin Martinez to retire after the eighth round of their heavyweight contest.

From the opening bell, the multiple-time world champion and 2020 Olympic Silver Medalist controlled the distance behind a sharp jab, neutralizing Martinez’s attacks while landing accurate combinations. As the fight progressed, Gadzhimagomedov’s speed, timing and movement created an increasingly wide gap between the two boxers.

Martinez struggled to cope with the Russian’s precision and sustained pressure throughout the contest. After eight one-sided rounds, the Mexican’s corner decided not to send him out for the ninth, handing Gadzhimagomedov a retirement victory. Gadzhimagomedov stays unbeaten at 7-0, 4Ko’s as Martinez dips to 14-2, 10Ko’s.

Hollywood, Florida, based 33-year-old, Russian, southpaw, Vadim Musaev earned a unanimous decision victory over Kampala, Uganda, 26-year-old, Farahat “King Falat the Nightmare” Manilola in their welterweight contest.

Musaev controlled the center of the ring and gradually increased the pressure, while Manilola focused mainly on defence. The Russian remained patient and dictated the fight over the full 10 rounds.

Vadim Musaev climbs to 15-0, 9Ko’s while Manilola’s four bour win streak comes to a close at 13-4, 9Ko’s.

Saint Petersburg, Russia, 23-year-old, Tamerlan “TT” Ozdoev opened IBA PRO 19 with an eighth-round knockout victory over Nahri, India’s, Shivam Jangra to claim the WBA Asia East lightweight title.

Jangra started competitively, showing speed and movement, but Ozdoev gradually increased the pressure and began to take control in the middle rounds. The Russian hurt his opponent in the sixth, then overcame a one-point deduction in the seventh for a punch after the referee’s command.

In the eighth round, Ozdoev landed a heavy body shot that sent Jangra down to his knees. The referee completed the count, confirming Ozdoev as the new WBA Asia East lightweight champion. Ozdoev moves to 6-0,4Ko’s as Jangra falls to 13-4-1, 8Ko’s.