Gassiev's coach on possible rematch with Usyk: "Murat is much stronger than Joshua and hits harder"

The trainer of Russian heavyweight Murat Gassiev Vitaly Slanov assessed the chances of his ward in a potential fight with Oleksandr Usyk.

On the night of September 26 at Tottenham Hotspur Arena in London, Usyk defeated Anthony Joshua by unanimous decision and won IBF, WBO, WBA heavyweight titles.

"It's hard to say whether Murat can beat a Usyk like that," Slanov said. But I hope this fight will happen someday. It will be a good fight. Murat is much tougher than Joshua. And he hits harder than Joshua. Everything will show in the ring. The main thing is for Murat to be okay, to approach the fight without injuries. Before the final of the Super Series there were a lot of moments. There was an injury, the weight was going to be difficult, problematic. There were problems in the preparation. In any case - Usyk became the champion then, he dominated. Let's hope that their second fight will take place and be more competitive," said Slanov.

Usyk and Gassiev met in 2018 in the final of the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS), the Ukrainian won on points.