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.