Undefeated fighters Isiah Thomas& Muraty Gassiev met in what was suppose to be a 12 Round fight on PBC on Spike December 18, 2015, but it ended unexpectedly after 3 rounds.
Thomas (15-0, 6 KOs), who hails from Michigan and was one of the last fighters that Emanuel Steward trained in the famous Kronk Gym before passing away, was expected to make a statement against Murat Gassiev. Gassiev (22-0, 16 KOs), came from Russia to battle Thomas and was keen to press the the action on his opponent.
Although Gassiev was the aggressor in Rounds 1 & 2, it was Thomas who landed scoring punches, setting up his hooks with sharp jabs. Thomas' 4-inch reach advantage played to his advantage in connecting with fierce left hands in the the first two rounds.
In Round 3 however, things changed and Gassiev began to assert himself. As the round came to an end, the Russian struck Thomas with a powerful right hand as the round came to an end, and then followed that with another clear punch after the bell.
It was the second punch, the punch after the bell, that led referee Jay Nady to declare that Thomas was unable to continue fighting, leading the bout to a no contest.
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