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Agit Kabayel - Christopher Walker on the heavyweight contender boxing can no longer ignore
Agit Kabayel will believe he is the best heavyweight on the planet and he is just waiting for the right opportunity to prove it.
For some within the sport, Kabayel is boxing’s best big man not named Oleksandr Usyk , but his wait to fulfil the promise those handling his career have long seen in him goes on. 2026 could be the year he shakes the tag of boxing’s best kept secret tag , but Kabayel can only do that by becoming world champion.
It was 2017 when Kabayel proved himself to be a capable operator when he shocked the world in Monté Carlo to thoroughly outbox Derek Chisora when the British fighter was considered a major threat in the division.
Chisora had been unfortunate not to outpoint Dillian Whyte the previous year and in 2018 he would flatten Carlos Takam, but in-between, he was outclassed by Kabayel who displayed that he could be a fighter the heavyweight division needs to be wary of.
Instead of the heavyweight landscape becoming curious of Kabayel, they instead chose to ignore him. In a world where safe passages to opportunities exist, Kabayel as a roadblock was too much and the title picture moved on without him as Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, and Oleksandr Usyk all lay claim to boxing’s richest prizes.
Spending six years preserving his unbeaten record and fighting to remain relevant, Kabayel would have the chance to record another win similar to his Chisora success when Saudi Arabia’s hosting of major events would provide Kabayel with the stern tests he was desperate to overcome.
Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Arslanbek Makhmudov was considered a dangerous prospect, but he had no answer to Kabayel’s superb accuracy as he was chopped down in four rounds before being stopped. Frank Sanchez, a Cuban who had plenty in America backing him, had no answer to Kabayel’s assaults as he was halted in the seventh session.
The German’s reward for lighting up the Middle East on two separate occasions was a third outing in Riyadh against one of boxing’s biggest punchers in Zhilei Zhang.
The Chinese monster who had splattered Joe Joyce and Deontay Wilder had no answer to Kabayel’s frequent body attacks and although he did manage to hurt and drop Kabayel, he could not outlast him as he had nothing left by the fight’s halfway point.
Now, almost nine years since his big arrival against Chisora, Kabayel is on the verge of superstardom as he is the current WBC interim champion about to fight in his home country in front of a sold-out arena in Oberhausen.
The event is proof that Germany is behind their heavyweight star, and now Kabayel must deliver if he is to bring grander events, possibly with world titles attached, back to a region that presented heavyweight championship boxing on a regular basis after the Klitschko brothers made Germany their base.
Now is the time for Kabayel
Aiming to derail Kabayel is Poland’s Damian Knyba and it is unthinkable that the home favourite can fluff his lines on what is surely his final rehearsal before a world title shot later in 2026.
His promoter, Frank Warren, guides WBO ruler Fabio Wardley , and he also has an outstanding relationship with Usyk, who has featured on Warren’s shows in the past.
One of those events was Usyk vs Daniel Dubois 2 last July, an event that Kabayel attended, but watched from a distance.
At the final weigh in for the contest, with the eyes of the world on the stage hosting the combatants, Kabayel stood at the bar at Wembley’s BoxPark venue and his glance never left either fighter as he demonstrated a similar intensity to the men who were about to go at it for the undisputed heavyweight crown.
Amongst the typical madness that surrounds a pre-fight event, no one noticed Kabayel’s focus. People even walked past him unaware he could provide the answer to defeat either Usyk or Dubois.
But if things go to plan this weekend in Germany and a win over Knyba is the springboard towards Usyk, that summer’s day in London could be the last time that people choose to ignore Kabayel.
Watch Kabayel vs. Knyba with a DAZN subscription
January starts with a heavyweight bang as Agit Kabayel takes the next steps towards a world title shot as he face Damian Knyba this Saturday, January 10, exclusively on DAZN Watch with a subscription, monthly and annual options available.
