According to Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, Murat Gassiev is currently in negotiations for hi first defence as sole WBA heavyweight champion.

The Russian, who holds the ‘regular’ belt with the sanctioning body, became a bona fide two-division world champion in June, with Oleksandr Usyk’s splintering of the belts meaning there no longer a ‘super’ champion.

Gassiev then ended up retaining his championship status last month, stopping late replacement Peter Kadiru in six rounds after Tony Yoka was forced to pull out of their contest with an injury.

Since then, the 32-year-old has expressed his interest in a unification match, hoping to replicate his success at 200lbs by merging two of the four major belts.

Before that, though, Gassiev may need to defend his strap against Jarrell Miller who, as per Hearn’s latest comments on the matter, is now being steered towards a WBA title shot.

This follows the WBA’s admission to mistakenly naming ‘Big Baby’ as its mandatory challengerdespite having Moses Itauma as the leading contender in its rankings.

With Itauma now facing Filip Hrgovic for the vacant IBF title, however, it could be that Miller will emerge as the sanctioning body’s mandatory challenger after all.

Either way, Hearn has told IFL TV that Gassiev must defend his title against the American.

“There’s a little bit of confusion with the WBA [belt]. Gassiev is the champion. He’s got to fight Jarrell Miller, our guy, which we’re negotiating at the moment.”

Given his previous failed doping tests, Miller remains a controversial fighter but is seemingly on the cusp of another major opportunity.

LIVE COVERAGE

Troy Williamson looks to defend his British and Commonwealth super middleweight titles against former champion Callum Simpson in the Leeds main event.

The BOXXER card also features Frazer Clarke’s latest heavyweight outing, Hassan Azim, Billy Pickles and James Dean Fury, alongside several of the promotion’s brightest prospects.

WBN provides live results, a live scorecard for the main bout, and updates from every fight as they happen.

Live Scorecard

Troy Williamson vs. Callum Simpson

Live Results

Times are local BST

18:37

Billy Pickles dropped Max Curtis om his way to a six-round points win, before heavyweight Frazer Clarke destroyed Lamah Griggs in two rounda with a powerful display.

18:03

Ashlee Eales came through a closely fought eight-round clash with Diego Krasimirov to move to 13-2.

In the process, the 32-year-old halted Krasimirov’s ten-fight undefeated run.

17:48

Bradley Casey earned a points decision over Ross McGuigan following an entertaining four-round cruiserweight battle in Leeds.

16:48

Ben Rees produced a brutal second-round knockout of Marvin Tomlinson to get his hand raised in Leeds. Rees found the finish early and ended the light heavyweight contest emphatically.

Billy Sea also made quick work of Alex Carter, dominating the opening two rounds before Carter’s corner threw in the towel at the end of the second.

TV Coverage and Remaining Bouts

United Kingdom: Sky Sports

• Troy Williamson vs. Callum Simpson – British and Commonwealth Super Middleweight Titles (12)
• Gradus Kraus vs. Sean Hemphill (10)
• Hassan Azim vs. Jack Martin (8)
• Mauro Silva vs. Tyler Christopher (8)
• Ted Jackson vs. Todd Tompkins (6)
• James Dean Fury vs. Dzmitry Atrokhau (4)

Preview

Troy Williamson looks to defend his British and Commonwealth super middleweight titles against former champion Callum Simpson in the Leeds main event.

Olympic medalist Frazer Clarke continues his comeback against Lamah Griggs, while unbeaten prospects Hassan Azim and James Dean Fury feature on a packed BOXXER card.

About the Author

Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.

Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.

A formidable puncher has suggested that Moses Itauma lacks the necessary physical attributes to win their potential tussle.

While hardly representing the most physically imposing heavyweight, Itauma nonetheless stands at 6ft 4in and typically hits the scales at around 240lbs.

More than anything, though, the 21-year old relies on speed and footwork, with both advantages contributing to his fifth-round stoppage of Jermaine Franklin in March.

Now bidding to become the youngest heavyweight champion since Mike Tyson, Itauma is generally favoured to defeat seasoned veteran Filip Hrgovic on August 29.

Should he emerge victorious at London’s O2 Arena – and claim the vacant IBF title – then the southpaw will need to defend his belt against mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez.

Either way, he is already progressing at a much quicker pace than Teremoana Teremoana, who returns to action against club-level fighter DeAndre Savage on August 12.

Headlining a Matchroom Boxing show in Queensland, Australia, the Olympian has crafted a flawless 100% knockout record against entirely inferior opposition, but considers himself to be on a collision course with Itauma.

Speaking with DAZNTeremoana highlighted Itauma’s size as a glaring weakness in the land of the giants.

“He’s too small. He won’t be able to match me; my attributes are better. I’m a real heavyweight – 120kg [265lbs]. I walk around trying to lose weight, basically.

“He’s a good fighter – there’s a lot of good fighters in this world – but, eventually, when we come to the point where we clash, I believe I’m going to be on top.”

Teremona Teremona confident he can beat Moses 👀

DAZN NEWS has more from an exclusive interview with the Australian heavyweight ⬇️#TeremoanaSavage | Aug 12 | Watch only on DAZN

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) August 6, 2026

While having faced a string of limited opponents – stopping them all inside two rounds – the 28-year-old Teremoana must elevate his level of competition if he is to justify a showdown with Itauma.