Agit Kabayel is growing increasingly tired of waiting around, urging Oleksandr Usyk to make a decision and stop delaying his WBC world heavyweight title shot.
Usyk successfully defended his green and gold belt last month, albeit with a subpar performance to eventually stop former kickboxer Rico Verhoeven in round 11.
It was far from a career-best display from the masterful southpaw, who revealed afterwards that his daughter had messaged him from a bomb shelter in Ukraine.
This emotional text message, which he received before stepping through the ropes, may provide some explanation for why Usyk underperformed, but Verhoeven also deserves credit for coming close to causing a seismic upset.
Regardless of the manner in which he triumphed, though, the 39-year-old unified champion must now decide whether to face his mandatory challenger or vacate the WBC belt.
Kabayel is due his shot at the full title after claiming the WBC ‘interim’ strap with a sixth-round stoppage of Zhilei Zhang in February 2025. Prior to that, the German contender claimed notable inside-the-distance victories over Frank Sanchez and Arslanbek Makhmudov, while his last outing resulted in a third-round finish over Damian Knyba in January.
Now, the 33-year-old is understandably impatient, which is why he has piled further pressure on Usyk via a social media post.
“One week since the WBC ordered the fight. Still no news. Usyk, let’s give the fans what they want – or vacate the belt and let the next generation take over. Until then, we’ll keep pushing the horses.”
Kabayel’s mention of “pushing the horses” is in reference to Usyk’s comments before his rematch with Daniel Dubois, which saw him claim a fifth-round finish last July.
Should Usyk’s side decide against participating in negotiations and ultimately drop the belt, perhaps in favour of a rematch with Verhoeven, Kabayel should be upgraded to full champion, making his next outing a defence rather than a challenge.
