Agit Kabayel is now full WBC heavyweight world champion, having been upgraded from interim when Oleksandr Usyk vacated the title.
The undefeated German heavyweight has earned a bogeyman tag in the division following wins over Frank Sanchez and Zhilei Zhang, and was called as Usyk’s mandatory this year.
The Ukrainian, however, has opted to vacate the WBC belt, alongside his IBF and WBA titles, to pursue one last fight in America – perhaps against Deontay Wilder – before hanging up the gloves.
With Kabayel now the champion, talk turns to his first voluntary defence. Speaking to Playbook Boxing, his manager, Spencer Brown, suggested Jarrell Miller as his preferred option.
“We are looking at a load of dance partners. I had a chat with Frank and George Warren yesterday, [Kabeyel’s] promoter, so they’ve got to put it all together.
For me, it would probably be Jarrell Miller. I like the sound of that fight. It’s a good fight. Miller is number two in the WBA, I think… I should know, cause I manage him as well … We know what boxing’s like, sometimes it’s what face fits, and I think he’d be a brash-talking American coming into Germany. I think the fight would sell.”
Brown also mentioned new Queensberry Promotions signing Guido Vianello – WBC’s number 13 – and Rico Verhoeven, now ranked at number 8 following his defeat to Usyk, as potential opponents for Kabayel’s first title defence.
Miller is currently not ranked within the sanctioning body’s top fifteen. He comes off a unanimous decision win over Lenier Pero in April. His sole defeat, which came years after a doping ban, came at the hands of current WBO champion Daniel Dubois.
