Bookmakers made Murat Gassiev a strong favorite against Kubrat Pulev when they come head-to-head in their clash on Friday 12th December 2025 at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
He is currently 2/5 (-250) to win the clash outright, while you can get 2/1 (+200) on Kubrat Pulev if you fancy the upset.
That means that oddsmakers think there is 69% chance of Gassiev winning while giving Pulev a 31% chance.
Gassiev opened as the favorite at 4/11 (-280) however, that price has shortened by 26/-25 (+100).
Pulev opened at 11/5 (+220) which has got wider by -4/5 (+130).
The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds in the Heavyweight division, which means both fighters don't have to make any weight limit.
This contest is for the WBA heavyweight championship of the world.
Pulev vs Gassiev Head To Head
Kubrat Pulev steps into the ring with a record of 32 wins, 3 losses, and 0 draws, 14 of those wins coming by way of knockout.
Murat Gassiev will make his way to the ring with a record of 32 wins, 2 losses and 0 draws, with 25 of those wins by knockout.
The stats suggest Gassiev has a massive power advantage over Pulev, boasting a 78% knockout percentage compared to Pulev's 44%.
Kubrat Pulev is the older man by 12 years, at 44 years old.
Pulev has a 4-inch reach advantage.
Both Kubrat Pulev and Murat Gassiev fight out of an orthodox stance.
Pulev is the more experienced professional fighter, having had 1 more fights, and made his debut in 2009, 2 years earlier than Gassiev, whose first professional fight was in 2011. He has fought 105 more professional rounds, totaling 268 compared to Gassiev's 163.
Murat Gassiev is currently ranked number 12 by the WBA in the Heavyweight division.
Pulev vs Gassiev betting form
Kubrat Pulev has beaten 3 of his last 5 opponents.
In his last fight, he beat Mahmoud Charr on December 7, 2024, by unanimous decision in their WBA World Heavyweight championship fight at Sofia, Bulgaria. He was a 3/10 (-330) favorite going into the contest.
Prior to that, he had beaten Andrzej Wawrzyk on December 14, 2023, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at The Hangar, Costa Mesa, United States. He was a 1/20 (-2000) favorite going into the contest.
Going into that contest, he had been beaten by Derek Chisora on July 9, 2022, by split decision in their 12 round contest at O2 Arena, London, United Kingdom.
Before that, he had won against Jerry Forrest on May 14, 2022, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at Forum, California, United States.
He had lost to Anthony Joshua on December 12, 2020, by knockout in the 9th round in their WBA Super World Heavyweight, WBO World Heavyweight and IBF World Heavyweight championship fight at Wembley Arena, London, United Kingdom.
Murat Gassiev has stopped 4 of his last 5 opponents.
In his last fight, he beat Kem Ljungquist on October 26, 2024, by knockout in the 5th round at Karen Demirchyan Sports Complex, Yerevan, Armenia.
Prior to that, he had been beaten by Otto Wallin on September 30, 2023, by split decision in their 12 round contest at Regnum Carya Hotel, Antalya, Turkiye. He was a 1/3 (-300) favorite going into the fight.
Going into that contest, he had beaten Mike Balogun on March 3, 2023, by knockout in the 2nd round at Karen Demirchyan Sports Complex, Yerevan, Armenia. He was a 1/16 (-1700) favorite going into the fight.
Before that, he had defeated Carlouse Welch on August 26, 2022, by knockout in the 1st round at Belgrade, Serbia. He was a 0/1 (0) favorite going into the fight.
He had won against Michael Wallisch on July 22, 2021, by technical knockout in the 4th round at Dynamo Volleyball Arena, Moscow, Russia.
Who's been more active?
If you think ring rust and activity is a big factor in this fight, Murat Gassiev has been fighting more than Kubrat Pulev.
Kubrat Pulev last fought 1 year and 5 days ago, while Murat Gassiev's last outing was 1 year, 1 month and 16 days ago.
Pulev's last 5 fights have come over a period of 5 years, which means he has been fighting approximately every 1 year. In those fights, he fought a total of 53 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 10.6 rounds on average.
Gassiev's last 5 fights have come over a period of 4 years, 4 months and 20 days, meaning he has been fighting on average every 10 months and 16 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 24 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 4.8 rounds on average.
What’s the Latest Time I Can Bet on Pulev vs Gassiev Pre Fight?
The fighters are expected to ringwalk at around 9:00 PM UTC at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which is 4:00 PM EST or 1:00 PM PST on the West Coast of America, or 9:00 PM GMT in the UK.
