Gassiev was due to defend his WBA heavyweight title against Yoka at VTB Arena in Moscow, Russia, in the main event of the next IBA Pro show, but his opponent Tony Yoka has withdrawn from his scheduled fight after suffering a back injury in training. The event is still expected to go ahead, but a replacement opponent has not yet been confirmed.
The change comes at a major moment for Gassiev, who has now been elevated to full WBA heavyweight champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt. The move makes Gassiev a two-weight world champion, having previously held world titles at cruiserweight.
Gassiev last fought in December, when he stopped Kubrat Pulev in the sixth round in Dubai to claim the WBA Regular belt. He had been linked with a possible fight against Moses Itauma, but the July 11 date was instead set for Yoka before the Frenchman’s injury.
Yoka had also been inactive since December and was previously expected to face Lawrence Okolie in April, only for that bout to be canceled after Okolie returned an adverse finding from a VADA test during the build-up.
Gassiev had shown respect for Yoka before the withdrawal, calling him “an Olympic gold medalist, a big, strong heavyweight with serious skills.”
