Murat Gassiev now knows his opponent for his upcoming WBA heavyweight title defence on Saturday.

Gassiev became WBA Regular heavyweight champion in December with a knockout win over Kubrat Pulev, and after Oleksandr Usyk vacated his unified world heavyweight titles last month, the Russian is now the WBA’s only belt-holder in the banner division.

He was set to defend that strap against Tony Yoka at the VTB Arena in Moscow this weekend, but after Yoka suffered an injury and was forced to withdraw, a scramble began to search for a new opponent.

British heavyweight Joe Joyce was seen as the frontrunner to land the bout due to already being on the card in a fight against Artem Suslenkov, but it has now been announced that Peter Kadiru will be the man to earn the opportunity against Gassiev.

Kadiru has a record of 23-1, with 13 of those wins coming by knockout, and he was last in action in May when he claimed a unanimous decision victory over Senad Gashi.

Speaking about the new match-up, Gassiev was pleased that he still gets the chance to fight in Russia.

“I was fully prepared and ready for Tony Yoka, but boxing is unpredictable and champions must adapt. Peter Kadiru is a big, strong, experienced fighter with a solid amateur pedigree and real power.

“Fighting at home in Moscow in front of my Russian fans for my first defence is special. I will be ready on July 11 and I intend to keep the WBA World Heavyweight Title in Russia.”

Gassiev will be seen as the favourite heading into the bout, and a win on Saturday could lead to a major title defence later in the year.