Murat Gassiev successfully defended his WBA heavyweight title on Saturday night, stopping Peter Kadiru in the sixth round during the IBA Pro 19 event at the sold-out VTB Arena in Moscow. The Russian champion broke the challenger down with sustained pressure before Kadiru's corner threw in the towel.
Gassiev controlled the center of the ring from the opening bell, applying steady pressure behind heavy body shots and sharp right hands. Kadiru remained disciplined and had some success with movement and counters, including a competitive fifth round, but the champion's relentless pace gradually took its toll.
The finish came in Round 6 when Gassiev trapped Kadiru against the ropes and unleashed a series of heavy combinations. Unable to respond, Kadiru's corner stopped the fight, giving Gassiev his first successful defense of the WBA heavyweight title he captured at IBA Pro 13.
In the co-main event, unbeaten Russian heavyweight Artem Suslenkov recorded the biggest victory of his career by stopping former Olympic silver medalist Joe Joyce in the 11th round to retain the WBA Continental heavyweight title. Suslenkov applied constant pressure throughout the contest before Joyce was unable to continue after the sustained punishment.
Elsewhere on the card, Pavel Sosulin remained unbeaten with a unanimous decision victory over Eddie Colmenares, while Vyacheslav Rogozin outpointed RV Deniega over six rounds. Muslim Gadzhimagomedov earned a ninth-round RTD victory over Kevin Martinez, Sharabutdin Ataev defeated Jose Uzcategui by unanimous decision, and Tamerlan Ozdoev stopped Shivam Jangra in the eighth round. Arslan Yallyev scored a third-round TKO over Murad Khalidov, David Dzukaev defeated Aleksei Egorov by unanimous decision, Vadim Musaev outpointed Farahat Manilola, while Elmar Guseynov and Vitaly Starykh recorded unanimous decision victories in IBA Bare Knuckle contests.
Image Credit: IBA