WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel has shared his thoughts on Oleksandr Usyk’s upcoming fight against Rico Verhoeven on May 23.
It was announced on Friday that Usyk will face the kickboxing star at Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza. Initially, it was believed that his WBC belt would be on the line; however, the WBC has since cast doubt on whether that will be the case.
Despite boasting a decorated combat sports background, Verhoeven has had just one outing in a professional boxing ring, scoring a second-round stoppage victory over Janos Finfera in 2014.
His opponent, at the time, had a record of 0-5, and yet the 36-year-old is now gearing up to collide with the greatest heavyweight of this era.
Having twice beaten Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, Usyk is widely regarded as the leading pound-for-pound operator in this sport.
His last outing, which saw the Ukrainian engineer a fifth-round finish over Dubois in July, cemented his status as a three-time, two-division undisputed champion.
At the same time, though, many feel that unbeaten contender Kabayel has more than earned his shot at the 39-year-old, especially after claiming stoppages over Zhilei Zhang and Frank Sanchez.
But while he was likely eager to face Usyk sooner, the 33-year-old must now wait a little while longer before landing his world title opportunity.
Posting on his Instagram story, Kabayel reacted to the fight news and said his shot at the full WBC title will likely arrive after his next outing.
“It’s official. Just one fight to go. Then we’re next. Blow up the comments!”
An opponent for his next assignment is yet to be confirmed, but the German is likely full of confidence following his third-round finish over Damian Knyba last month.
