Agit Kabayel has issued a statement after being made to wait until the 11th hour for confirmation on Oleksandr Usyk’s championship status.
The mandatory challenger has held his WBC ‘interim’ title since February 2025, back when he stopped Zhilei Zhang with a punishing sixth-round body onslaught.
Since then, Kabayel has been clamouring for his rightful shot at the full title, while keeping himself busy with a third-round finish over Damian Knyba last January.
The WBC then finally ordered Usyk to defend his belt against the unbeaten German, shortly after the Ukrainian’s 11th-round stoppage of Rico Verhoeven last month.
Both sides were given a deadline of June 30 to negotiate a deal, otherwise their mandated fight would go to purse bids.
It has now been confirmed by Usyk himself, however, that he has decided to relinquish his WBC, IBF and WBA heavyweight titles.
The 39-year-old announced this news via a social media post on Friday, but insisted that he will remain in the sport for at least one more fight.
In response, Kabayel took to Instagram to congratulate Usyk on a phenomenal career, despite having been made to wait all this time for an announcement.
“A true champion is defined by his actions both inside and outside the ring. Usyk has won everything there is to win, fighting the best and proving his greatness time and again.
“By putting down the belts, he once again shows his class. He isn’t holding the division back – he’s giving the next generation its chance.
“Of course, I wanted to share the ring with him one day, but I have nothing but respect for everything he has achieved. I wish him and his family nothing but the best.
“I hope I’ll be there for your last dance and have the chance to pay tribute to an outstanding career. From today on, I’ll stop pushing the horses … Because one thing is certain: I am ready to take over.”
As the WBC ‘interim’ champion, Kabayel will secure a shot at the vacant world title in his next outing, which is likely to arrive against the next available contender later this year.
