Cruiserweights Murat Gassiev and Yunier Dorticos were not expected to go the distance in their World Boxing Super Series semifinal matchup.
They almost did. Key word in that sentence is almost.
In front of more than 14,000 fans at the Bolshoy Ice Dome in Sochi, Russia, Gassiev (26-0-1 NC, 18 KOs) knocked out Cuba’s Dorticos (22-1, 21 KOs) in the 12th and final round of a truly enthralling contest. The three scorecards all had Gassiev winning at the time of the stoppage (106-103, 106-103, and 105-104), as the Russian established control of the proceedings towards the midway mark of the fight.