The WBC has ordered champion Oleksandr Usyk to face mandatory challenger and interim champion Agit Kabayel next.
Usyk retained his green and gold belt with an eleventh-round finish over Rico Verhoeven late last month, producing the stoppage when he was down on one official scorecard and struggling with the pressure and unorthodox style of the kickboxer-turned-heavyweight title challenger.
Given how surprisingly competitive the fight was, there were calls for an immediate rematch, not least from Verhoeven, who has appealed the official result, believing the stoppage from referee Mark Lyson to be early.
The WBC, however, is sticking to its original plan and has since enforced Kabayel’s position, as recently confirmed by President Mauricio Sulaiman and now Kabayel himself, who took to social media to announce the beginning of the 30-day negotiation period.
“Words can’t describe what this moment means to me. Now it’s up to Usyk. He has 30 days to accept. If he doesn’t, I become the full WBC world champion.”
Whether or not Usyk – who is also in possession of the WBA and IBF titles – enters into talks remains to be seen, with the possibility of vacating the WBC belt a very real one.
While he has not ruled out facing Kabayel, and even said in the ring post-Verhoeven fight that he would, the Ukrainian’s original hit list before retirement did not include the unbeaten German contender. At 39 years old, Usyk has perhaps only two contests remaining, and his team have made it clear that he will only be motivated by ‘major events.’
Kabayel’s star power in Germany could be a deciding factor, after the 33-year-old saw an impressive turnout for his January homecoming fight against Damian Knyba.
