Eddie Hearn Just Revealed Who’s Next For One Of Boxing’s Quietest Champions

Murat Gassiev’s next fight is edging into view — and Eddie Hearn says it could be a WBA heavyweight title defence against Jarrell Miller. The Matchroom promoter says talks are underway to get the American in with the Russian, who became sole WBA champion in June after Oleksandr Usyk splintered the belts, as Boxing News reported.

What’s Next For Murat Gassiev?

Gassiev, 32, cemented his status last month by stopping late replacement Peter Kadiru in six rounds, after Tony Yoka pulled out injured. A two-division world champion, he has since made clear he wants a unification, hoping to merge two of the four major belts as he did at cruiserweight. First, though, the WBA wants a mandatory sorted. The sanctioning body admitted it mistakenly named Miller its mandatory challenger, despite ranking Moses Itauma above him. With Itauma now chasing the vacant IBF title against Filip Hrgovic, Jarrell Miller’s late-career revival may inherit the shot regardless.

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.

Miller remains a controversial figure given his history of failed drug tests, but he appears to be on the cusp of another world-title opportunity. Nothing is signed — yet for a champion who rarely makes noise, Gassiev’s next move is suddenly one of the division’s more intriguing storylines.