Murat Gassiev says he does not know whether he still holds the WBA heavyweight title after reports that Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua could fight for it. The uncertainty matters because Gassiev was upgraded to WBA 'Super' champion in July, yet he says the situation around the belt has not been made clear to him.
That confusion has become part of the heavyweight picture as Fury and Joshua are scheduled to fight on 11 December in Cardiff. The match-up was launched at a news conference in London last week, and it has been described as the product of a decade-long effort to bring the British rivals together. But the key issue now is simple: which belt, if any, sits on the line?
Gassiev says the WBA has not made things clear
Gassiev said he was surprised by what he has seen around the title picture. He explained that when Fury and Joshua faced off at the launch event, he only saw the Ring Magazine belt, not a WBA belt, and that left him unsure about his own status.
“The WBA give me big surprise about my belt,” he said. “But in press conference when AJ and Fury have face off, I see only Ring Magazine belt, no WBA belt.”
He added: “And to be honest right now, I don't have clear information about this situation. I don't know. Fight for 'Super' belt, another belt, I don't know.”
That is a striking position for a boxer who is still listed on the WBA's website as the reigning champion. Under the WBA system, the 'Super' champion is treated as the full champion, while the 'Regular' belt holder is often the number one contender. Gassiev had held the WBA 'Regular' belt since 2025 before being upgraded in July after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the title.
'I'm fighter. I do my job, that's it'
Gassiev said he has checked for updates but has not received any official communication. “I check my email. I don't have any messages, any papers, but I'm not manager, promoter [or] lawyer. I'm fighter. I do my job, that's it,” he said.
His comments underline the unusual nature of the situation. At 32, Gassiev moved to heavyweight in 2020 and has recorded eight wins in nine fights, but the bigger question now is not form. It is whether his name will still be attached to one of the division's major world titles if Fury and Joshua meet as planned in Cardiff.
For the heavyweight division, that matters. A fight between Fury and Joshua already carries enormous significance, but a title dispute adds another layer of interest. If the WBA does regard Gassiev as the champion, then the situation around December in Cardiff becomes even more important. If it does not, then the title picture needs explaining before the fight takes place.
What comes next?
For now, Gassiev says he is waiting for clarity. He has not said that he has been stripped, only that he does not know where he stands. Until the WBA gives a clear answer, the status of the belt remains one of the more unusual storylines around the Fury and Joshua fight.
There was also a reminder from Daniel Dubois that even big heavyweight fights can lose some of their edge when they take time to happen. “It doesn't seem like it has that same edge to it, if it happened years ago,” he said. “They missed the fire and the edge. But I am sure it will be a great fight regardless.”
