The IBA PRO 19 boxing night took place at the VTB Arena in Moscow, headlined by the fight between WBA heavyweight world champion Murat Gassiev and Germany’s Peter Kadiru.

Gassiev confidently controlled the pace of the bout, and in the sixth round, following a series of powerful punches, Kadiru’s corner decided to stop the fight. The Russian boxer successfully defended his WBA world champion title.

The President of the International Boxing Association, Umar Kremlev, highly praised Gassiev’s performance:

“Murat defended his title brilliantly. As of today, he is one of the best boxers on the planet. Murat is a dangerous puncher, and he started showing this from the very first seconds of the fight. His ‘signature dish’—the Gassiev-style liver shot—is already the stuff of legend worldwide.

Peter Kadiru did well; he did even more than was expected of him.

Murat is in excellent shape, and in this form, he can take on the planet’s leading heavyweights. Gassiev is ready for unification fights, and the IBA is ready to organise them anywhere in the world,” Kremlev stated.