IBF Cruiserweight World Champion Murat Gassiev is full of praise for both Mairis Briedis and Mike Perez.
Murat Gassiev watched with interest as Mairis Briedis defeated Mike Perez via unanimous decision in the World Boxing Super Series in Riga, Latvia on Saturday night.
And the Russian IBF World Champion is full of praise for both combatants and fellow participants in the Ali Trophy cruiserweight tournament.
“The fight went the distance which is the reason why the fans could say it was boring but it was not,” said ‘Iron’ Murat Gassiev.
“Perez was doing great. His stamina was there. His speed was there. He was motivated. He lost but the fact is now we have a very dangerous fighter in our division. I think he is capable of becoming a mandatory challenger in the near future.”
Murat Gassiev was impressed by WBC world champion Mairis Briedis’ ability to adjust.
“Briedis showed that he is master of his craft. He showed that he is able to adjust to any situation in the ring,” said Gassiev.
“If you try to back him up he has a good defense. If you work from a distance, he is ready too. If you want the inside work with some of Marko Huck’s elements — he’s ready. He’s ready for everything. I think that Briedis’ uppercuts and dirty boxing surprised Perez.”
Murat Gassiev will undoubtedly watch Mairis Briedis again in the upcoming clash against WBO world champion Aleksandr Usyk in the semifinal:
“His fight with Usyk will be very interesting. Those who think that Usyk is going have an easy fight are wrong. I look forward to it, he says.
Murat Gassiev steps into the World Boxing Super Series when he faces off against Krzysztof Wlodarczyk in the final cruiserweight quarterfinal on October 21 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
The winner will face WBA world champion Yunier Dorticos in a unification fight in the semifinal.
WORLD BOXING SUPER SERIES FIXTURES & RESULTS
09/09/17 – Cruiserweight Quarter-Final:
Oleksandr Usyk vs. Marco Huck (WBO World) – Usyk Won (TKO 10)
Max-Schmeling-Halle, Berlin, Germany
16/09/17 – Super Middleweight Quarter-Final:
Callum Smith vs. Erik Skoglund (WBC Diamond) – Smith Won (UD)
Echo Arena, Liverpool, United Kingdom
23/09/17 – Cruiserweight Quarter-Final:
Yunier Dorticos vs. Dmitry Kudryashov (WBA World) – Dorticos Won (KO 2)
Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, USA
30/09/17 – Cruiserweight Quarter-Final:
Mairis Briedis vs. Mike Perez (WBC World) – Briedis Won (UD)
Riga Arena, Riga, Latvia
07/10/17 – Super Middleweight Quarter-Final:
Chris Eubank Jr vs. Avni Yildirim (IBO World)
Hanns-Martin-Schleyer Halle, Stuttgart, Germany
14/10/17 – Super Middleweight Quarter-Final:
George Groves vs. Jamie Cox (WBA Super)
The SSE Arena, Wembley, London, United Kingdom
21/10/17 – Cruiserweight Quarter-Final:
Murat Gassiev vs. Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (IBF World)
Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA
27/10/17 – Super Middleweight Quarter-Final:
Juergen Braehmer vs. Rob Brant
Sport- und Kongresshalle, Schwerin, Germany
WORLD BOXING SUPER SERIES AT A GLANCE
Number of participants: 16
Number of belts: 7
Number of world champions: 6
Number of former world champions: 3
Number of undefeated fighters: 9
Combined Record of participants: 423 wins, 17 losses, 294 KOs
