After his liver hook triumph over China colossus Zhang Zhoei, Agit Kabayel has a World Cup fight against heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk. At least on paper. Because that Kabayel will get the Ukrainian in front of the fists promptly is anything but safe. At Sport.de, boxing expert Bernd Bönt explained why this is-and paints the spectacular scenario of a mega fight in Germany with ex-champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Agit Kabayel has finally reached the world leadership of the heavyweight due to his co-victory against the dreaded Knockouter Zhang Zhoei. At the World Association WBC, the “Leberking” from the Ruhrpott even operates as a “interim” world champion.
“He is a kind of intermediate world champion,” says box manager Bernd Bönte in an interview with sport.de The idiosyncratic term: “Practically all associations have introduced this status because in heavyweight there has been a world champion for a long time with Oleksandr Usyk, which holds the titles several associations and briefly even holds all belts.”
In such a case, there is a “rotary procedure” among the large world associations WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO, to determine the next challenger of the association world champion, explains Bönte, who still knows the game from his time as a manager of Vladimir Klitschko. “Dr. Steelhammer” also held several World Cup belts from 2008 to 2015.
“When a combination of unification is due, all associations usually refrain from fighting their respective compulsory challengers, which should actually take place once a year,” Bönte explains.
Boxing: Does Kabayel have to wait longer for his World Cup chance?
And this is exactly what Kabayel could put into waiting. WBA/WBC/WBO World Champion Usyk had announced before the German victory in Riyadh, he wanted IBF world champion Daniel Dubois as the next opponent. The Brit would have defended his title against Joseph Parker at the weekend, but had to cancel at short notice for an infection.
For Usyk, a duel with Dubois would be more financially lucrative than the mandatory task Kabayel. “This is a struggle that you can easily make in an English stadium,” Bönt the dimension ordered: “And besides, there is still this discussion from the first fight: was it a deep blow or not? It is certainly a duel that also want to see the box fans, “says the” DAZN “expert. In addition, the “showdown for everything” is also the battle that the Saudi Box-Mogul Turki al-Heikh wanted to see.
Usyk defeated Dubois (then WBA compulsory challenger) in the summer of 2023 in Breslau by KO in round nine. The world champion had gone to the ground in round five after a supposed body hit by the Englishman. Because Dubois’ right body hook was hooked at bladder height just below the navel, the referee saw the action as a deep blow, Usyk gave several minutes to relax. Dubois and his promoter Frank Warren still sensed fraud – especially in England, a debate has been raging since then about the value of USYK’s victory.
Usyk next to Daniel Dubois
The Ukrainian defeated the next British after his victory over Dubois with Tyson Fury 2024, crowned the first undisputed heavyweight world champion of all recognized associations since 1999. Because Usyk rose to reverse in the ring at the end of the previous year, instead of the IBF To give dukes as a mandatory Dubois, withdrawn from the association based in the United States the champion the red-gold belt. Since then, Dubois IBF champion has been impressively defended by Ko against superstar Anthony Joshua in autumn 2024.
Longer speech, short sense: In the letter soup of the world associations you have to swim for a long time, you need staying power to fight for the world champion title. This also applies to “Interims” champion Kabayel. Whether the 32-year-old gets his chance depends on “what the new Undisputed Champion-i.e. Usyk or Dubois–then does,” explains Bönte: “From that moment on, the compulsory challengers will come.”
It is possible that Kabayel has to look back in the discussed rotation process of the world associations. With Joseph Parker there is also an “interim” title holder at the WBO. The New Zealand has been waiting for a cabin for a battle for a full title for a long time.
The last WBO “Mandatory” was ironically Usyk, who came to Joshua through this status in 2021 and dethroned the British in London. At the WBC, the Englishman Dillian Whyte 2022 received a title chance against the then champion Fury (who struck whyte ko) as “interim” champions.
Ex-Klitschko manager brings German dream fight into play
However, there is still a scenario in which Kabayel without a punch is the first German heavyweight world champion since Max Schmeling (1930). Should a new undisputed world champion lay down the WBC title or not defend against Kabayel in terms of time, the association could declare the Bochumer at the green table as a full champion. Accordingly, the IBF was done in the previous year: When Usyk did not compete against Dubois, the association highlighted the Englishman for the “right” world champion.
The WBC has already acted like this: in 1978 Ken Norton became a heavyweight champion because Muhammad Ali did not compete against him (a fourth time). Lennox Lewis also “won” the WBC title in 1992 by proclamation of the officials because world champion Riddick Bowe had thrown the green-gold viscotic into a garbage can.
It would also be conceivable that the WBC Kabayel obliges to make a World Cup fight against another opponent if the United Heavy Weight Crown shattered-for example by withdrawing from Ezyks. And here the former Klitschko manager goes through his head that would electrify boxing Germany: Agit Kabayel against Vladimir Klitschko.
“The moment the titles are vacant, it is possible that one of the associations will say: Here we open a door for an ex-champion with long-term merits for boxing. Bönte, who was at the Klitschko brothers as a manager for many years.
Vladimir Klitschko wants to break foreman record
The ex-world champion flirts with a comeback, after sport.deInformation planned his return after almost eight years of boxer pension against Dubois after almost eight years. The 48-year-old is the record of Faustkampf icon Goerge Foreman. The American had crowned the oldest heavyweight champion in history in 1994. Klitschko will be 49 in March.
Video: Klitschko-comeback? That says the scene
The Ukrainian is reinforced by Turki al-Heikh. The chairman of the Saudi entertainment authority, which is currently checking the price boxing, had already spoken out for a comeback of Klitschkos at the end of 2024 to grant him the chance to crack Foreman’s record-including at the WBC Congress in Hamburg (in which Klitschko too Guest was).
Kabayel vs. Klitschko around the WBC crown? “Of course, you get every stadium full in Germany,” emphasizes Bönt: “You can box on Schalke or Düsseldorf. Kabayel comes from NRW.”
The “Leberking” itself would love to box at home. “Even if I am making big money in Saudi Arabia. I would bite into the acid apple and fight in Germany, even if I would have to cut back on the coal, “said Kabayel in an interview with sport.de. His manager Spencer Brown also brought a fight in Germany into play after the success of Zhang. “Money”? No problem with a blockbuster against Klitschko.
The boy from the Ruhrpott against Germany’s former box favorite who wants to know it again. A dream for every promoter. Stand now it’s just a daring mind game – but one that fits the crazy stories of the boxing business like Kabayel’s left hooks on the liver.