Murat Gassiev to defend WBA heavyweight title against Tony Yoka in Moscow in July
Murat Gassiev defends his WBA Regular heavyweight title against Tony Yoka aiming to retain his mandatory position to Oleksandr Usyk; Yoka returns to action after cancellation of Lawrence Okolie fight
Friday 22 May 2026 17:51, UK
Murat Gassiev will defend his WBA heavyweight title against Tony Yoka in Moscow on July 11, Sky Sports understands.
WBA Regular champion Gassiev goes in search of a 34th professional victory as he looks to preserve his position as the mandatory challenger to Super champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Under WBA rules, the Regular champion is treated as the automatic No 1 contender to the Super title.
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Unbeaten unified heavyweight champion Usyk is currently obligated to defend his WBA belt against Gassiev after completing a mandatory defence of his WBC title against Agit Kabayel.
If Usyk vacates the WBA title, Gassiev could either be elevated to full champion or ordered to fight for the vacant belt.
The bout also represents a major opportunity for Yoka, who can spring himself into world title contention in his first fight since December 2025 after a succession of cancelled contests.
The Frenchman was scheduled to face Lawrence Okolie in Paris in April, but the fight was cancelled after Okolie failed a drugs test during fight week.
Yoka, the 2016 Olympic gold medallist, was later reported to have secured a place on the Dave Allen vs Filip Hrgovic undercard, but no matchup failed to materialise.
Gassiev comes into the fight after his devastating sixth-round stoppage of Kubrat Pulev in Dubai last December.
