Agit Kabayel has to be patient. With his spectacular co-victory over China colossus Zhang Zhoei, he has crowned the interim champion of the World Association WBC. To date, however, nothing indicates that Kabayel gets the heavyweight king in front of the fists promptly.
In an exclusive interview with sport.de The “Leberking” explains why his combat style for Usyk is poison. Kabayel also comments on the rumors about a fight against Vladimir Klitschko.
sports.de: Mr. Kabayel, her victory against Zhang Zhoei in Riad is now a little more than six weeks ago. You have definitely studied the fight a few times since then: How do you review your performance in retrospect? What was good, what could you have done even better?
Agit Kabayel: It was very, very good on our side. But I still have to work a little on my defensive. I have now seen the fight 20, maybe 30 times to analyze it to analyze myself where the mistakes were where the gaps were. I have already noticed that I might have been able to close the sack a little earlier if I had built up a little more pressure.
The plan was that from the fifth, sixth round we put a shovel, but I noticed in the fourth round that Zhang was pretty flat and that the sack could have closed (Noted.Red.: Kabayel won through K. or in round 6). But I am also very strict with myself and self -critical, I am looking for the mistakes and try to improve everything for the next fight. I think I can still improve a lot. Whether the opponent is an Oleksandr USYK is a Daniel Dubois – the air up there is very, very thin, it is important to pay attention to the little things.
sports.de: It looks like, Usyk is promoting an association fight against IBF champion Daniel Dubois. Alternatively, are Joseph Parker traded as a challenger for Usyk and the 41-year-old Derek Chisora as a challenger for Dubois? It almost seems as if the world champions wanted to avoid them. Did you impress too much against Zhang, so that nobody now wants to get against you?
I think it will also be because people avoid me. My style, this body hit – the combat name Leberking has now established itself at most. I think this body goal is very difficult to avoid and cover. Very many do not get along with that, even a Usyk, you have to name the child by name. Usyk does not cope with this, you have seen that in the past, even in his amateur career: he doesn’t like to be hit on the body.
I am not the one who does the trash talk. Usually I would have to sit on the phone and spit the biggest tones. But that just doesn’t belong to me.
Video: Kabayel wants “gold” for Germany
sports.de: Styles Make Fights is the old box wisdom. Are you stylistically USYK’s biggest nightmare, his cryptonite?
I don’t know if I’m his biggest nightmare. But he will struggle with my style. I will definitely pull it into the deep water and see if he can swim. He knows that too. You have to see whether my style is his crypton. Everyone know above: Against Agit Kabayel there is a hard working day in the ring, this is not a slightly earned money.
Agit Kabayel: Three options make sense
sports.de: Do you think a fight against Usyk really comes about?
I don’t think I’m fighting against Usyk next. From a feeling, I assume that he first does a different thing. But we have to be in the pipeline, we have to be at the start. One could fail at any time and then we are right in the middle.
sports.de: Either way – you have to stay active …
You have to stay active, which is very important. But first I have to see how the stones fall. I always said that I fight (against Usyk, D.Red.) I cannot force, I have the status as a compulsory challenger and interim champion, but now it is up to the spectators. The fans and the media have to make maximum wave to provoke this fight so that people see that there is great interest.
sports.de: What options do you have when Usyk does not compete against you? WBC boss Mauricio Sulaiman has already mentioned Anthony Joshua as a possible opponent. Germany against England, you against AJ in Düsseldorf or Schalke – that would be something too?
There are several options that were thrown into the room. The WBC is of course happy when I defend my title, then you have two people who defend a WBC belt: Usyk the world champion title and I the interim title (Note D.Red.: The association then collects a corresponding title fee twice). All fights are very interesting. After the Zhang fight, the topic of Klitschko was even thrown into the room. You have to wait. The most important thing is now: be patient, stay in training, the rest comes on its own.
From a purely sporting way, only three fights would make sense for me: against Usyk, against Dubois or against Parker. Everything else would be options where you would have to sit back and discuss with the team, whether it makes sense or not.
Kabayel vs. Klitschko? “Some of them would have fallen from the chair”
sports.de: But you have been in first place in the WBC ranking. Is the association too lax, does it not push enough for usyk to fight them?
I have actually been since the fight against Frank Sanchez (Ko-Sieg Kabayels in a World Cup out of the World Cup in May 2024, d.Red.) The number 1. Then somehow you put Tyson Fury again. Before the fight against Zhang, they put me back at 1. In this fight I have proven that I am 1. I really don’t know what’s coming. I have now made a World Cup excretion twice. As I said: I have to stay patient and also in my head and wait for the chance. I am ready.
sports.de: You spoke to the rumors about a Klitschko comeback against you. At least financially, this would be a lucrative option …
I’ve already mentioned that in my YouTube vlog. There was a sum, some of them would have fallen from the chair and said: ‘Ey, that’s the Money-Fight, do it, take it with.’ But I really have to worry whether the money plays such a big role for me. Whether I say: Now I’m paying attention to the money. For me, the sporty has always counted: I want to become world champion, become world champion, become world champion, there was nothing else. Maybe at some point there will be a sum where I can’t say no. But now I want to concentrate on the sporty, stay on the sporting path.
sports.de: What is there anyway? Is a Klitschko duel really up for debate or is that just an air number?
As far as I know, that was discussed. I can only look at people and I only know that the topic is not 100 percent off the table, for example, that a deontay wilder was thrown into the room to box in Germany. These are all things that now pass in the background and where there is nothing tangible. Many apparently think that I am only one of them (Makes a money gesture, d.Red.) can lure because you know that you cannot give me a World Cup fight.