Otto Wallin vs Murat Gassiev Preview September 30th, 2023
Former IBF and WBA Cruiserweight Champion Murat Gassiev of Russia returns to the ring this Saturday, September 30th when he defends his WBA Inter-Continental Heavyweight title against Otto Wallin of Sweden. The 12-rounder from Turkey will reportedly be shown live on DAZN in many nations. Wallin last boxed in January when he beat Helaman Olguin via an eight-round unanimous decision while Gassiev stopped Mike Balogun in the second round in March in his last outing to win the vacant Inter-Continental Belt.
**Watch live on DAZN this Saturday. Your first month is free.
Wallin vs Gassiev Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Otto Wallin +240
- Murat Gassiev -300
My Pick
Gassiev won his IBF Cruiserweight Title back in December, 2016 by beating Denis Lebedev via a split decision and then added the WBA version by stopping Yuniel Dorticos in the 12th round in February, 2018 in the World Boxing Super Series. However, he lost those titles in the tournament final when he dropped a unanimous decision to current Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk in July, 2018. Gassiev then moved up to heavyweight and has fought just four times since losing to Usyk, which is still his lone loss as a pro. It seems that Gassiev has been around forever but he’s just 29 years old and has a fine record of 30-1 with 23 Ko’s.
He made his pro debut in 2011 after his amateur career and has 140 rounds of experience under his belt. Gassiev possesses solid power in his fists as his current knockout ratio stands at 76.7 per cent. He stands just over 6-feet-3-inches tall with a 76-inch reach and was fighting out of California but recently received Armenian citizenship. North American fans may be familiar with Gassiev as he’s fought a few times in the U.S and has beaten the likes of Michael Wallisch, Nuri Seferi, Felix Cora Jr., Rodney Moore, Isiah Thomas, Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, Lebedev and Dorticos.
Wallin is a 32-year-old southpaw who hails from Sundsvall, Sweden and carries around an impressive record of 25-1 with 14 Ko’s. He’s boxed 145 rounds since making his pro debut back in 2013 after a mediocre amateur career. He’s a good-sized heavyweight as he stands just over 6-feet-5-inches tall with a reach of 78 inches, which gives him a two-inch edge in both height and reach over Gassiev. Wallin has decent power in his punches with a current knockout ratio of 56 per cent.
The biggest problem with Wallin is the quality of opponents he’s faced so far. That being said, he did give Tyson Fury all he could handle in September, 2019 in his only pro loss. He cut Fury up for 47 stitches along the way but dropped a unanimous decision to him. Wallin stopped Gianluca Mandras in the fifth round in 2017 to lay claim to the vacant WBA Continental Heavyweight Title.
A year later he captured the EBE European Heavyweight Crown via a unanimous decision over Adrian Granat. He’s also faced the likes of Rydell Booker, Kamil Sokolowski, Dominic Breazeale, Travis Kauffman, Srdan Govedarica, Raphael Zumbano, Osborne Machimana, Samir Kurtagic and Vladimir Goncharov. Wallin’s a heavyweight hopeful who always has a puncher’s chance no matter who he faces due to his size, power and chin.
Prediction…
Wallin is a pretty durable heavyweight who could land a title shot in the future if he steps up his level of competition. However, at the age of 29, Gassiev could just be reaching his prime. I give Gassiev the edge here due to his power and experience even though he’s slightly smaller than Wallin. This is a good test for both boxers at this stage of their careers as the winner should get his name back in the mix in the uneventful heavyweight division.
I like Gassiev’s age, power and experience.
Play Gassiev -300 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Murat Gassiev betting • Otto Wallin betting