Gassiev: Fury-AJ title decision 'strange', calls for winner next

Murat Gassiev has criticised the WBA for not elevating him to full world championship status and says its strange to sanction Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua as a fight for the super title; Gassiev believes he should now be made the mandatory challenger for the Fury vs Joshua winner

Murat Gassiev has called for the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua victor to make a mandatory defence against him if they are going to box for the WBA ‘super’ heavyweight title.

Gassiev, the WBA 'regular' titlist, believed he would be upgraded to 'super' or full world champion when Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt.

It has subsequently emerged that the WBA intend to make the Fury vs Joshua fight on December 11 for the 'super' title, essentially making Gassiev a secondary belt-holder.

That decision baffled the Russian. "This situation is interesting, a little bit strange, with the belt," Gassiev told Sky Sports.

"When Usyk left his belt, I wake up I'm super champion. Go to sleep, wake up, I'm again regular champion. It's okay. I'm not angry. I understand. I'm not a kid, I understand everything."

But he does believe the WBA must then install him as the mandatory challenger for the winner.

Source: Sky Sports