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Road to Oberhausen: How has Agit Kabayel arrived at homecoming bout in Germany?
Agit Kabayel bids to defend his WBC interim heavyweight crown this weekend as the hard-hitting German enjoys a homecoming against Damian Knyba, live on DAZN.
The star returns to his home country for the first time since 2023 after a string of successful bouts in the Middle East, with a trip to Oberhausen's Rudolf-Weber Arena.
Having earned his place as the theoretical top-ranked challenger with one major governing body for Oleksandr Usyk, Kabayel now faces an unbeaten foe for his latest test.
But just how did he and his opponent come to this clash? DAZN News looks at the last five fights of each fighter and profiles what has guided them to this latest opportunity.
Agit Kabayel (26-0)
- Age: 33
- Fights: 26
- Last five: WWWWW
Feted as a future domestic favourite after turning his life around in the ring, Kabayel was very much a rank outsider to the global level as recently as three years ago.
A two-time reign as European champion certainly showed his top-tier credentials, with his last two wins in Germany over Pavel Sour and Agron Smakici both quick and brutal.
It is his success as a Riyadh Season house fighter since however that has catapulted Kabayel towards the top of the sport, collecting a trio of major upset victories en-route.
He stopped Arslanbek Makhmudov in 2023, Frank Sanchez in 2024 and then Zhilei Zhang last February, to take the latter's WBC interim crown and seal contender status.
Damian Knyba (17-0)
- Age: 29
- Fights: 17
- Last five: WWWWW
Less than five years from turning pro, the impressive Polish star could see his stock explode if he dethrones the home favourite in his back yard across the German border.
That said, it has been a while since Knyba fought in continental Europe too, having been a feature on American undercards since late 2022 when he stopped Curtis Harper.
In his last five bouts, only Michael Polite Coffee has made it to the final bell with him, back in December 2023, just as Kabayel was exploding onto the global stage in Saudi Arabia.
Since then, he has stopped Richard Lartey, Andrzej Wawrzyk and Joey Dawejko, with Marcin Siwy forced to retire between the latter two bouts in Newark last June.
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 on Saturday, January 10, exclusively on DAZN Watch with a subscription, monthly and annual options available.
