Frank Warren is clear that there will be a world title on the line in Agit Kabayel‘s return, regardless of whether Oleksandr Usyk is standing in the opposite corner.
The leading contender claimed his WBC ‘interim’ title in February 2025, when he climbed off the canvas to halt Zhilei Zhang with a vicious sixth-round body attack.
Prior to that, Kabayel had scored back-to-back stoppages over Frank Sanchez and Arslanbek Makhmudov, contributing to his reputation as a worthy challenger to Usyk.
Instead of landing a shot against the Ukrainian earlier this year, though, the 33-year-old defended his ‘interim’ title with a third-round finish over Damian Knyba in January.
In doing so, Kabayel showcased the appetite for heavyweight boxing in his home nation of Germany, where he hopes Usyk will soon present him with a career-defining opportunity.
First, the 39-year-old unified champion must defend his WBC title against Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven, who he will face at Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza on May 23.
After that, Usyk has expressed his desire to collide with the winner of Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois, which takes place for Wardley’s WBO title this Saturday.
There is, however, an increasing likelihood that Usyk, who also holds the IBF and WBA belts, will be officially ordered to defend his WBC world title against Kabayel.
Such a scenario has been endorsed by Queensberry promoter Warren, who explained the current situation to Boxing News during a media roundtable.
“After [the Verhoeven fight, Usyk is] supposed to make his WBC [title] defence against Kabayel. That’s what the position is, so we’ll see what happens. If he doesn’t want to [fight Kabayel], he’ll be stripped [of the WBC title].”
While the WBC is yet to order a contest between Usyk and his mandatory challenger, Warren remains confident that Kabayel will be entering a world title fight when he returns, which the promoter has tipped for September.
