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Two dangerous Brits or a pound-for-pound great, who could Agit Kabayel face next after Damian Knyba knockout win?
WBC interim heavyweight champion Agit Kabayel is the hottest name in the heavyweight division after a successful homecoming on Saturday night.
At a loud Rudolf Weber-Arena in Oberhausen, Kabayel knocked out Poland's Damain Knyba in a performance revived big time boxing in Germany.
With such a dominant performance, attention immediately turns towards what is next for Kabayel and there is one name which the 33-year-old wants.
Following what was a night to remember in mainland Europe, DAZN News' Matt Astbury takes a look at three opponents Kabayel could face next.
Oleksandr Usyk
As WBC interim champion, Kabayel is the man to challenge the full champion Oleksandr Usyk when the mandatory is called.
For Kabayel, the Ukrainian is the only man he's interested in facing and he reiterated this desire in the aftermath of his win against Knyba.
"I’ve waited so long for this title shot, last time I beat three monsters at Riyadh Season," Kabayel told DAZN's Ade Oladipo. "Give me the world title fight. I’m ready, let’s go!"
For many in the boxing world, they feel Kabayel fully deserves his shot at Usyk, but whether he will get it next is a different story.
Usyk was not ringside in Oberhausen, and he has previously stated that he wants to face former world champion Deontay Wilder next. So how do you force a Usyk-Kabayel fight?
Kabayel's camp will be hoping the WBC forces Usyk's hand to face their interim champion next, or if that fails, perhaps the vast financial rewards of a stadium fight in Germany will be enough to tempt Usyk away from facing a fading heavyweight to one of the hottest talents in the division right now.
Lawrence Okolie
If Kabayel has to wait for Usyk, then keeping active is paramount and one name that could be in the running is two-weight world champion Lawrence Okolie.
Ranked number one with the WBC, a fight with Kabayel makes sense. Okolie was in attendance at the Rudolf Weber-Arena and he gave a scathing verdict on the German's knockout win.
"I think the only problem is that I don’t think he looked that great in the first couple of rounds, it will be harder against a style like mine, we can see that he has big holes," Okolie told DAZN's Beyond the Bell.
"Everyone keeps calling him the bogeyman, I don’t believe it, I never have."
A Kabayel-Okolie fight would be an intriguing contest. With Kabayel known for serious knockout power, it will be a challenge for him to close the gap with Okolie who will use his superior physical attributes to keep the German at a safe distance.
Fabio Wardley
Queensberry/Leigh Dawney
Kabayel is ready for a world title fight, and if the WBC route is proving difficult, then there is another world champion who would be ready to step in the ring with the 33-year-old, and that's WBO champion Fabio Wardley.
Wardley is preparing for his first defence and after beating Joseph Parker in October, then fans will expect him to face another credible name.
Kabayel fits that mould and Wardley will welcome an opponent who is not afraid to have a tear up.
Both men have dynamite in their hands with their respective knockouts being felt around the world, so a Wardley-Kabayel fight for the WBO heavyweight title has all the ingredients of a classic.
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