By CompuBox
Murat Gassiev (last 5 fights) is the MUCH busier fighter, averaging 61.3 thrown per round to just 39 for Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (vs. Gevor, Drozd, Fragomeni, Chakhkiev). Wlodarczyk landed just 7.8 punches per round, landing just 20%. Opponents landed 36.8% of their power shots vs. Wlodarczyk. Gassiev can be touched too, as opponents landed 36.4% of their power shots.
The fourth and final cruiserweight division quarterfinals match of the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) tournament is on tap tonight when undefeated International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion Murat "Iron" Gassiev (24-0, 17 KOs) defends his world title against former two-time world champion Krzysztof "Diablo" Wlodarczyk (53-3-1, 37 KOs), live from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
"I have a great opponent who is a very tough two-time champion," Gassiev said. "He is experienced and this will give me a great challenge on Saturday. I worked hard with Abel Sanchez all camp to put on a great performance on Saturday night. To be a champion and defend my belt is something I always dreamed of. I want to stay in this position for a long time.
"When we faced-off I looked inside his eyes and saw that he is very serious. He's ready for a big fight and I will make sure this is a great fight on Saturday. This is someone who earned his chance to fight me. I will always challenge the best in the division no matter who they are. I don't like to think ahead to a potential match-up with Yunier Dorticos. It would be a great fight but my focus is fully on Wlodarczyk.
"I feel great physically. This is an exciting tournament with four world champions. This is a great opportunity for all the fighters. I'm so thankful to be a part of this tournament. This is the best way to unify titles and show everyone that I am the best cruiserweight in the world."
"I have a great challenge in front of me on Saturday night," Wlodarczyk commented. "This is a young, tough opponent who earned his belt. I am going to have to be at my best and I feel I will be. What I can say is, we are going to find out who is better in the ring on Saturday. We'll see who has what it takes to make the next round of this tournament.
"I have to be the smarter fighter in the ring. I think I can take advantage of my experience by staying smart and making the better adjustments. My training has been very good and I feel completely ready for Saturday night. I'm going to be ready for anything Gassiev throws at me. We will find out who the better man is.
"I hope everyone on this card gets through healthy and may the better man win. This is what boxing is all about. I'm very thankful for the chance to fight in this tournament and for a belt and I look forward to making the most of it."
The Gassiev-Wlodarczyk winner will advance to the WBSS semifinals early next year for a world title unification showdown with unbeaten World Boxing Association (WBA) champion Yunier Dorticos (21-0, 20 KOs), who last month knocked out previously undefeated Dmitry Kudryashov (21-0, 21 KOs), of Russia, in their WBSS quarterfinals match.