DANIEL DUBOIS may have fallen short in his bid to reclaim the heavyweight crown, but the Londoner’s name remains firmly in the mix among the division’s biggest players.
In July, Dubois was stopped in ruthless fashion by Oleksandr Usyk at Wembley Stadium. Two years on from their first meeting in Poland, many believed he could spring the upset in their rematch.
Having rebuilt with victories over Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua, Dubois entered Usyk-Dubois II as IBF champion, with the Ukrainian holding the other three belts. But once again the Brit came up short, and Usyk’s win — following his decision to vacate the IBF title, which briefly elevated ‘Dynamite’ Dan from interim to full champion — saw him become a two-time undisputed heavyweight ruler.
On Saturday night, Dubois (22-3-1, 21 KOs) was among the heavyweight contenders ringside at the O2 Arena to watch Fabio Wardley produce another dramatic comeback, stopping Joseph Parker in the 11th round to stay unbeaten. Wardley now looks set for a crack at Usyk in 2026, leaving others in the chasing pack eager to make their move.
One man doing just that is Germany’s Agit Kabayel (26-0, 18 KOs). Three Riyadh Season wins — over Arslanbek Makhmudov, Frank Sanchez and Zhilei Zhang — have earned him the WBC interim belt and a place among the world’s elite.
Kabayel will return to Germany for the first time in three years on January 10, 2026, headlining a Goldstar/Queensberry event at the Rudolf Weber-Arena in Oberhausen. While his opponent has yet to be confirmed, Tony Yoka revealed on Instagram that he has signed his contract to face Kabayel in January.
Dubois, however, has made it clear he wants to face the German. Speaking to DAZN’s Ade Oladipo, he said: “I’m ready to go. I’ll take on Kabayel. I’m ready for him. I’m ready to get back to the top.”
Kabayel responded via Instagram: “I say today let’s go for the fight. I think this is the biggest fight for the boxing fans right now. Let’s do it for the boxing fans. I’m ready for the next challenge.”
