Murat Gassiev left out as WBA sanctions Fury vs Joshua for heavyweight title

Murat Gassiev, who was reported to have been elevated to WBA Super heavyweight champion in July, still holds a WBA belt but has said Tyson Fury should fight him rather than contest another WBA title.

The WBA has sanctioned Tyson Fury against Anthony Joshua for its heavyweight Super title on 11 December, leaving Murat Gassiev outside the main heavyweight championship picture even though he holds a belt from the same organisation.

The decision puts the WBA's leading heavyweight championship on an all-British fight between two former world champions. Gassiev, who has not lost his standing in the ring, keeps a WBA belt, but the principal title is now treated as vacant ahead of the fight in some championship listings, with Gassiev recognised separately as Regular champion.

The Russian entered the WBA heavyweight picture by beating Kubrat Pulev in December 2025 to win the Regular championship. After Oleksandr Usyk left the WBA title picture, Gassiev was reported to have been elevated to Super champion in July 2026, which appeared to settle his position until the Fury-Joshua title plans emerged in October.

Gassiev has challenged the situation publicly. He said Fury should fight him rather than compete for another WBA belt.

The dispute over who is the WBA's principal heavyweight titleholder comes after the organisation faced criticism for running multiple championships in the same weight division, despite efforts to reduce the number of titles.

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