Murat Gassiev will make his long-awaited Heavyweight debut against Jerry Forrest at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas on Saturday February 29, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK – with rising Junior-Middleweight star Israil Madrimov in a World title eliminator and headline star Mikey Garcia showcasing two of his Garcia Promotions talents.

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Gassiev (26-1 19 KOs) announced his move to Heavyweight in April after signing a promotional deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing USA, Ural Boxing and Warriors Boxing to fight on DAZN, following hot on the heels of his old Cruiserweight foe Oleksandr Usyk, the last man he faced in an undisputed World title clash and the final of the World Boxing Super Series in July 2018.

The Russian banger was set to make his bow in July at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas against Joey Dawejko but a shoulder injury in the build-up forced the 26 year old to delay his entrance into a red-hot division.

Now a fully fit Gassiev does get the chance to debut in the Lone Star state, this time against seasoned Louisianan Forrest (26-3 20 KOs), the active 31 year old who has five wins from six fights in the last 12 months, and ‘The Iron’ is looking to sharpen his tools for an assault on the Heavyweights.

“I’m so happy to finally be able to make my debut at Heavyweight,” said Gassiev. “It has been frustrating not being able to fight but I am ready to go now, and I want to make up for lost time.

“When I box in Frisco it will have been nearly 600 days since I’ve fought and a lot has happened in the Heavyweight division over that time – I know that I can be a World champion at Heavyweight but I need to show to the rest of the division that I am a serious threat, and that starts on February 29.”

Madrimov (4-0 4 KOs) defends his WBA Inter-Continental Junior-Middleweight title in an official eliminator for the #2 position in the WBA against Venezuelan Charlie Navarro (29-9 22 KOs). Madrimov landed the title with a stunning second round KO of Frank Rojas in Verona, NY in March and maintained his 100 per cent KO ratio as a pro with sixth and fifth round wins at Madison Square Garden in the Big Apple in June and October.

The 24 year old Uzbekistani talent will be buoyed by his fellow countryman and stablemate ‘MJ’ Murodjon Akhmadaliev becoming Uzbekistan’s first ever unified champion, and victory over the experienced former World title challenger will edge Madrimov closer to a World title shot in 2020.

“I am so excited to be getting my first fight of 2020 on such a big card in Frisco,” said Madrimov. “I was so happy to watch MJ beat Daniel Roman in Miami last weekend, and that win has spurred me on to join him as a World champion this year.

“Navarro is a proud and experienced fighter and I know he will be a great test for me, but this is a great night for me to showcase my talents and show the rest of the division that I am ready to win World titles.”

It’s a huge weekend for headline star Garcia, who faces Jessie Vargas in a blockbuster Welterweight showdown in the main event. Garcia, who promotes a fight card on Friday night in Irving, Texas, will showcase two of his Garcia Promotions charges on his undercard with 20 year old unbeaten Texan Flyweight Jesse Rodriguez (10-0 6 KOs) clashing with Marco Sustaita (12-2-1 10 KOs) over ten rounds and unbeaten Mexican Middleweight Leo Ruiz Acevedo (6-0 4 KOs) taking on Dennis Knifechief (12-11 7 KOs) over six rounds.

“It’s great to have Jesse and Leo on the Frisco card that I am headlining against Jessie Vargas,” said Mikey Garcia. “Jesse’s fight with Marco is a really tough fight for both guys and it’s a real step up for Jesse, while Leo is on a great KO run and will be a threat in the Middleweight division in 2020 – February 29 is going to be a huge night of boxing and we’re looking to get three big wins.”

Gassiev, Madrimov, Rodriguez and Acevedo complete a stacked bill in Frisco, Texas, topped by Garcia vs. Vargas, with the longest reigning British World champion Kal Yafai (26-015 KOs) puts his WBA World Super-Flyweight title on the line against the former pound-for-pound king and four weight World ruler Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez (48-2 40 KOs) and rising Mexican sensation Julio Cesar Martinez (15-1 12 KOs) makes the first defense of his WBC World Flyweight title against unbeaten European champion Jay Harris (17-0 9 KOs) – with Matchroom Boxing USA talents Diego Pacheco (8-0 7 KOs) and Alexis Espino (5-0 4 KOs) getting their first taste of action in 2020.

ENDS

About The Star in Frisco
The Star is the 91-acre campus of the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters and training facility in Frisco, Texas. Developed as a first-of-its-kind partnership between the City of Frisco, Frisco ISD and the Dallas Cowboys, The Star features Ford Center, a 12,000-seat stadium that hosts Frisco ISD football games, other world class sporting events such as top flight boxing matches, concerts and other events; Cowboys Fit, a 60,000 square-foot gym developed in partnership with leading fitness developer, Mark Mastrov; Cowboys Club, a members-only club where the country club meets the NFL; the Omni Frisco Hotel, a 16-floor, 300-room luxury hotel; Baylor Scott & White Sports Therapy & Research at The Star, a 300,000 square-foot center of excellence for sports medicine; Twelve, a 17-story, luxury residential tower in partnership between Pro Football Hall-of-Fame Quarterback #12 Roger Staubach, and Dallas-based developer and former Dallas Cowboys center, Robert Shaw; Formation, a dynamic coworking experience offering a collaborative work environment of open workspace, dedicated desks and private offices; as well as a variety of shopping, dining and nightlife options throughout The Star District. For more information on The Star, visit www.TheStarInFrisco.com.

Murat Gassiev will make his long-awaited Heavyweight debut against Joey Dawejko on Saturday July 29 at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.

Gassiev has made the move up to join the big guns following an impressive run at Cruiserweight where his reign as IBF champion began when he ripped the title from Denis Lebedev in December 2012 and then stopping Krzystof Wlodarczyk and WBA champion Yuniel Dorticos in thrilling fashion to reach the final of the World Boxing Super Series.

The former unified champion 25 year old met Oleksandr Usyk in the finale to the WBSS in an blockbuster clash for the undisputed title in July where the Ukrainian travelled to Gassiev’s Moscow backyard and beat the hometown favorite. The California based Russian follows Usyk to Heavyweight after signing a co-promotional agreement with Matchroom Boxing USA, Ural Boxing Promotion and Warriors Boxing.

Dawejko promises to provide a stiff examination of Gassiev’s credentials at Heavyweight, with the Philly man coming into the bout having nearly shocked Gassiev’s fellow countryman Sergiy Kuzmin in Verona, New York in March. Dawejko – who turns 29 tomorrow (June 11) – faces his third Russian foe in a row having taken Andrey Fedesov the ten round distance in October in Ekaterinburg, and Gassiev is eager to impress when he steps back into the ring after a year’s absence.

“I just want to fight – I need big fights,” said Gassiev. “I haven’t boxed for a year. I am only 25 years old so I have time but I want to be in big fights.

“The most important thing for me is to be in shape and fit. I feel good up at Heavyweight in the gym, I don’t feel heavy, so I am excited to settle into the weight.

“I sparred with Heavyweights all through my time at Cruiserweight and it was good for me, but sparring is different. I think that the time is right to move up though and I’m very motivated.”

“This is a very solid Heavyweight debut for Murat and a big risk as his first fight,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “Joey is always competitor against the top Heavyweights, most recently against Russia’s Sergei Kuzmin in a fight that could have gone either way. This is an intriguing fight on what will be an outstanding night of boxing headlined by a potential fight of the year contender in Hooker vs Ramirez.”

Gassiev’s Heavyweight debut against Dawejko is part of a huge night of World championship action in Texas, headlined by the mouthwatering Super-Lightweight unification battle between Dallas’ WBO king Maurice Hooker and California’s WBC ruler Jose Ramirez.

Tickets go on pre-sale on Wednesday, with general sale starting on Friday.

Murat Gassiev has signed a promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing USA, Ural Boxing Promotion and Warriors Boxing – and will move up to Heavyweight in June as he prepares to fight on DAZN.

The 25 year old is moving up from Cruiserweight where he landed the IBF World title in June 2016 after beating Denis Lebedev in Moscow, defending it with a third round KO of Krzysztof Wlodarczyk in New Jersey in December 2017 in the quarter-final of the World Boxing Super Series and then adding the WBA crown with a dramatic final round stoppage of Yunier Dorticos in February 2018.

That victory led Gassiev to a final with Usyk in a grand unification battle in Moscow which the Ukrainian won over the distance, and Gassiev has mirrored moves made by his last opponent, Oleksandr Usyk, in teaming up promotionally with Matchroom Boxing USA and with streaming giant DAZN as his US broadcast platform.

The Heavyweight division is on fire with the World’s best Anthony Joshua heading to New York to defend his World titles against Brooklyn’s Jarrell Miller live on DAZN, and with Matchroom Boxing’s stacked stable of Heavyweight contenders and champions, Gassiev is excited to be teaming up with Eddie Hearn and looking to land big fights straight away, with his June fight to be announced soon.

“I am very happy to announce the beginning of cooperation between my promoters, URAL and Warriors with Matchroom Boxing USA and DAZN,” said Gassiev. “I am confident that this cooperation will bring great results. I want to make all my fans around the world happy and realize my full potential in the exciting Heavyweight division.”

“I’m delighted to welcome Murat to the team,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “Having unified the division at Cruiserweight, I feel Murat is a very exciting addition to the Heavyweight division and what a fantastic time to join it. We have lots of fights ready made for him and I can’t wait to see him fighting at Heavyweight very soon.”