Murat Gassiev drops Denis Lebedev en route to split decision victory to win cruiserweight title

Murat Gassiev was having trouble finding his way during the first true test of his short professional career.

The unified cruiserweight champion, Denis Lebedev, was controlling the action Saturday in Russia with his strong jab and effective short combinations on the inside.

Then in Round 5, Gassiev landed the shot that changed the fight - a devastating left hook to the liver.

Lebedev (29-3, 22 KOs) grimaced in pain and took a knee as referee Albert Earl Brown reached the count of eight. Gassiev (24-0, 17 KOs) began to tee off on Lebedev with power shots, and boxed his way to a controversial split decision to claim the IBF cruiserweight title (Lebedev's WBA belt wasn't on the line).

One judge scored it for Lebedev, 114-113, overruled by tallies of 116-111 and 116-112 for Gassiev. Paste BN Sports scored it for Lebedev, 116-111.

The 23-year-old landed the flashier shots, and Lebedev reacted poorly to them. That clearly swayed two of the judges.

But Lebedev, Paste BN's No. 1 cruiserweight, outboxed Gassiev, who jumped in with little head movement. The 37-year-old appeared to control the pace and was the far busier fighter.

He boxed off the back foot well and maneuvered inside with blistering combinations, particularly the left hook.

Gassiev, though, really picked up the pace after the knockdown and began to stalk and march forward in the fan-friendly affair.

This fight screams for a rematch, and we're likely to get one next year.

(AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)