Murat Gassiev vs. Jarrell Miller - Who wins?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Murat Gassiev Vs Jarrell Miller Talks Underway For WBA Belt

Eddie Hearn confirmed active negotiations to match Jarrell Miller against WBA heavyweight champion Murat Gassiev.

Hearn revealed the talks while discussing the heavyweight division and the opportunities created by its collection of titleholders. Miller, 38, has a direct route back to world title contention after recently signing with Matchroom.

“There’s a little bit of confusion with the WBA. I mean, Gassiev’s the champion. He’s got to fight Jarrell Miller, our guy, which we’re negotiating at the moment,” Hearn told iFL TV.

The fight offers Miller a shot at a heavyweight belt late in his career. A scheduled 2019 title bout against Anthony Joshua was canceled after Miller failed multiple drug tests before the event.

Miller rebuilt his career and remains a difficult opponent due to his size, constant pressure, and high work rate. A fight against Gassiev puts him near the top of the division without requiring a long series of elimination bouts.

Gassiev’s heavyweight run has moved slowly since leaving the cruiserweight division. The former unified cruiserweight champion possesses considerable punching power, though health issues and long layoffs have prevented him from establishing the same position at heavyweight that he held at 200 pounds.

Hearn is already considering potential opponents if Miller wins.

“Hopefully Jarrell Miller can beat Gassiev. We can do Miller against Kabayel. There’s loads of fights to be made,” Hearn said.

Miller first needs the Gassiev fight finalized. At 38, an opportunity to challenge a WBA champion gives the recently signed Matchroom heavyweight another chance to capture a world title.

[gilgamesh]

Miller by Decision is how I'd lean. He's difficult to hurt, and he is able to keep a decent pace with just arm punches. Gassiev tends to stand there and look at you for long stretches of time waiting for a big shot.

[joshj909]

The weight difference will be huge. Miller also tends to be quite active while Gassiev is very inactive. Gassiev has much more power though. Miller is 38 so his activity and pretty solid chin could possibly have dropped a bit.

We've already got Gassiev as a champ, we can't change that. It would be terrible if Miller becomes a champ as well.

[gregregegg]

First of all. I hope miller the cheat dosent get this relatively easy title shot.

But prediction wise it’s a tough one, you would have to think millers plodding volume would win him a decision, probably losing after 4 rounds having taken big clean shots but winning rounds late just continuing to march fowards against a tired gassieve…
But…
At 38 and a punch taker strange things can happen. With full drug testing I wouldent be surprised if some day soon the wheels fall off. A bit like Joyce, you can plod with volume cardio and chin for so long, but one day that becomes a tough slog (don’t think that day is vs gassieve though)

Ultimently I hope it dosent happen. Many people I’d rather fight gassieve (Moses, DDD, Parker, huni)

[PRINCEKOOL]

This is a fight Jarrell Miller can win 'as I have stated many times before? I don't rate Murat Gassiev as a particularly formidable heavyweight fighter'.

Note: But it is in my opinion a fight Miller would win on work rate and pressure 'so he would have to be prepared to fight for 12 rounds at a decent intensity'.

Jarrell Miller for me has never been a big time performer 'and he has lost most of his biggest fights, and as you all know completely sabotaged many other fights vs. Anthony Joshua and others'.

Close fight, only due to Murat Gassiev actually being a world level fighter at cruiserweight 'and he has thus-far won his biggest fights at Heavyweight' etc.

[Jeff_lacy_ko]

This is a fight Jarrell Miller can win 'as I have stated many times before? I don't rate Murat Gassiev as a particularly formidable heavyweight fighter'.

Note: But it is in my opinion a fight Miller would win on work rate and pressure 'so he would have to be prepared to fight for 12 rounds at a decent intensity'.

Jarrell Miller for me has never been a big time performer 'and he has lost most of his biggest fights, and as you all know completely sabotaged many other fights vs. Anthony Joshua and others'.

Close fight, only due to Murat Gassiev actually being a world level fighter at cruiserweight 'and he has thus-far won his biggest fights at Heavyweight' etc.

Miller lost once

[PRINCEKOOL]

This is a fight Jarrell Miller can win 'as I have stated many times before? I don't rate Murat Gassiev as a particularly formidable heavyweight fighter'.

Note: But it is in my opinion a fight Miller would win on work rate and pressure 'so he would have to be prepared to fight for 12 rounds at a decent intensity'.

Jarrell Miller for me has never been a big time performer 'and he has lost most of his biggest fights, and as you all know completely sabotaged many other fights vs. Anthony Joshua and others'.

Close fight, only due to Murat Gassiev actually being a world level fighter at cruiserweight 'and he has thus-far won his biggest fights at Heavyweight' etc.

Miller lost once

Jarrell Miller has either lost his biggest fights 'or sabotaged them, or not turned up. Those are the facts'.

Note: Murat Gassiev really is not a formidable heavyweight fighter 'but once upon a time he was a Cruiserweight World Champion, and he has fought consistently at a higher level than Miller and shown he can perform'.

Jarrell Miller can win the fight 'but he has never proved to be a great fighter, when all the pressure is on him to win. He has never been to the big dance before, and danced'.

Lets not sit here and try and make out that Jarrell Miller is some great American fighter 'he is not proven himself at top level ever'.

Murat Gassiev would be a great opportunity for him 'stylistically Jarrell Miller has a chance to win' etc.

[Perkin Warbeck]

Miller outweighs Gassiev by about 80 pounds is relentless, especially if he's on PEDs.

It's a very bad matchup for Gassiev. If the fight happens, Miller will break him down and stop him.

[Cent0089]

It all depends how much effect would Gassiev shots have on Miller. Miller ate bombs from Dubois all night and was not hurt at all before stoppage. Gassiev must hit Miller with big bombs from beginning, otherwise he would tear him down. Btw cannot imagine clinching with 300 lbs guy

[Eolaithe]

It seems wrong to see a fighter like Jarrell Miller, who failed three PED tests (2014, 2019 & 2020), suspended multiple times and also voluntarily sacrificing his WBC ranking, because of his refusal to enrol in their Clean Boxing Program, potentially receiving a very winnable world title shot against a so-called “champion” that I would strongly favour him to beat.

The American drug cheat either needs to age terribly overnight, the Russian champ score a one-punch KO, or Murat receives the benefit of a hometown decision in order to for Miller to lose.

If the 2024 version of ‘Big Baby’ challenges for Gassiev’s title (the man we saw against Dubois and Ruiz Jr.), then I’d favour a decision victory for Miller, with a combination of Jarrell’s physical size and work-rate allowing him to dominate the scorecards.

This is another example where I want my prediction to be wrong, because Jarrell Miller should have been permanently banned from the sport.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Jarrell Miller could receive world heavyweight title fight as Murat Gassiev is 'interested' in fighting the American

Jarrell Miller aims to challenge Murat Gassiev for WBA heavyweight belt; Miller could finally receive world title fight following cancelled clash against Anthony Joshua after American tested positive for banned substances in 2019; WBA champion Gassiev is 'interested' in fighting Miller

Jarrell Miller could receive a a WBA world heavyweight title fight against Murat Gassiev.

The WBA recently clarified that Miller is not a mandatory challenger for Gassiev, despite initially announcing this status, but the 38-year-old American still hopes to receive a world title fight against the Russian champion.

Miller confirmed to Sky Sports that a WBA title shot could be next after his points win over Cuban Lenier Pero in April and Gassiev has also revealed that he is open to the fight.

"Yes, if there is an offer regarding Jarrell Miller, we are of course interested," Gassiev told Sky Sports.

"Furthermore, if Moses Itauma decides to pursue the IBF route, Jarrell Miller will become an official contender for my WBA title, making the fight inevitable for me.

"We are also highly interested in a fight with [WBC champion] Agit Kabayel. If a concrete agreement is reached and this fight begins to materialise, I would gladly sign up for a unification bout.

"It all comes down to the specifics - the offer, the terms, the timing, and the venue. We are targeting fights that make sense both financially and for my career progression."

Moses Itauma is the current WBA No 1 contender, but the unbeaten Brit will fight Filip Hrgovic for the vacant IBF belt on August 19, which should mean that Miller, ranked at No 2 by the WBA, is next in line for Gassiev.

The controversial Brooklyn boxer, nicknamed 'Big Baby', defeated Kingsley Ibeh by split decision in a January fight that went viral after Miller's hairpiece was dislodged in the second round.

Miller could finally receive a shot at a world heavyweight title, more than seven years after his scheduled 2019 fight against Anthony Joshua for the WBA, IBF and WBO titles was cancelled after Miller tested positive for banned substances.

Gassiev was elevated to become the WBA world heavyweight champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated his WBA, WBC and IBF belts in June.

The 32-year-old defended his WBA title with a sixth-round stoppage win over Peter Kadiru in Moscow last month and is now eager to acquire more world belts.

"It's not just about Kabayel. To put it simply, I want any unification bout available," Gassiev told Sky Sports.

"However, if defending my WBA title against a mandatory challenger becomes the immediate priority, that would be an excellent matchup for me and all boxing fans.

"In that scenario, we will gladly fulfil our mandatory obligations.

"That said, our ultimate goal remains a unification fight. The same applies to the winner of Dubois vs Wardley [for the WBO belt] or Itauma vs Hrgovic.

"We are genuinely interested in any available unification fights."

[Ruthless-RKO]

Jarrell Miller defense could be ‘inevitable’, says Murat Gassiev

Murat Gassiev could soon have no option but to defend his WBA heavyweight title against No. 2-ranked Jarrell Miller.

The sanctioning body recently clarified that Moses Itauma, and not Miller, was the leading contender for a shot at the title. That announcement, however, came before it was confirmed that Itauma and Filip Hrgovic will contest the vacant IBF strap in London, England, on August 29.

Miller, 28-1-2 (22 KOs) and 38 years old, has got his career back on track this year with points victories over Kingsley Ibeh and Lenier Pero in January and April respectively.

Gassiev is now the lone heavyweight to hold a WBA title – the organization have of course been known to recognize several beltholders per division – following the decision from Oleksandr Usyk to step down from championship duty and relinquish his belts.

Gassiev, 34-2 (27 KOs), had won the WBA secondary belt, widely known as the ‘regular’ title, when he knocked out veteran Kubrat Pulev in December. Usyk’s decision to give back his ‘super’ title, for now at least, makes Gassiev’s the ‘only’ title.

"Yes, if there is an offer regarding Jarrell Miller, we are of course interested," Gassiev told Sky Sports.

"Furthermore, if Moses Itauma decides to pursue the IBF route, Jarrell Miller will become an official contender for my WBA title, making the fight inevitable for me.”

The 32-year-old Russian and his team are also pursuing a potential showdown with another beneficiary of Usyk’s decision to step down, Agit Kabayel, the newly installed WBC boss.

"We are also highly interested in a fight with [WBC champion] Agit Kabayel. If a concrete agreement is reached and this fight begins to materialise, I would gladly sign up for a unification bout.

"It all comes down to the specifics - the offer, the terms, the timing, and the venue. We are targeting fights that make sense both financially and for my career progression."