Gassiev’s Win Changes the Picture
That win gives heavyweight boxing another titleholder. It also gives us another belt that probably goes nowhere.
Oleksandr Usyk holds the real power at heavyweight. He has the IBF, IBO, WBO, and WBC titles. He beat Tyson Fury twice. He stopped Daniel Dubois. There’s no confusion about who the top guy is.
On paper, Gassiev vs. Usyk is a clean unification. In reality, it feels like a dead end. We’ve been here before. The division has a long history of belts sitting apart while champions circle everyone except each other. The Klitschko era dragged on for years with titles split and fights that never happened. Fans were told to be patient. Nothing changed.
Gassiev is a strong fighter. He’s compact. He hits hard. But his heavyweight run has been quiet until now. Stopping Jeremiah Milton in June didn’t move the needle. Beating Pulev did, but only a little.
Where Usyk Stands
Usyk, meanwhile, doesn’t need him. That’s the real problem. Fury still talks like he’s coming back. Deontay Wilder still shows up ringside. Agit Kabayel holds an interim belt and fights Damian Knyba in December. There are names. There are belts. There’s noise.
But there’s no direction. Unless heavyweight boxing forces clarity, it’s heading into another holding pattern. One dominant champion. One secondary belt. A lot of talk. Very few answers.
Fans have seen this movie already. It didn’t end with one king.
Ken Hissner is a seasoned boxing journalist with more than 20 years of experience covering the global fight scene. As a senior writer for Boxing News 24, he is well known throughout the boxing community for his detailed results coverage, in-depth historical features, and ringside reporting from major events. His long-view perspective and encyclopedic knowledge of the sport make him one of the most trusted voices in modern boxing journalism.