Oleksandr Usyk has proven himself to be a level above his heavyweight rivals in recent years, but there is one man, whom he may soon face, that is being labelled as his ‘kryptonite’ ahead of a possible world title challenge.
Many have tried to discover a chink in the armour of the Ukrainian mastermind, but his undefeated record has remained in tact, with both the cruiserweight and heavyweight elite unable to overcome the style of the loveable champion.
Although, whilst he is unbeaten in the pro game, many believe that the way to defeat Usyk is by targeting his body. This is largely because he was dropped by a Artur Beterbiev body shot during the London 2012 Olympic quarter-final, but also because of Daniel Dubois’ fabled and controversial ‘low blow’ in their first fight.
As a result, some fans suspect that WBC Interim champion and mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel, known for his destructive body work, could be the heavyweight division’s best chance of legitimately dethroning 39-year-old Usyk before his retirement.
Speaking to iFL TV, Kabayel’s manager Spencer Brown declared his belief that the German possesses the style to hand Usyk a first career defeat and threatened that there will be ‘problems’ if the Ukrainian refuses to fight Kabayel after his May clash with Rico Verhoeven.
“It is frustrating, we still feel that Agit is going to be world champion by the end of this year.
“Me personally, I think that, if he fights Usyk, that is Usyk’s kryptonite. I keep saying it to people, he works the body beautifully, he is game as a pebble, he stays on top of you, he is a pressure fighter and I don’t think that Usyk will like that. That is my personal opinion.
“Agit Kabayel is one of the most dangerous men in the division. They can’t hold up much longer on us, they just can’t. Once he fights this first fight against Rico, win, lose or draw, he has either got to fight us or he has got to relinquish that title. Otherwise, there is going to be problems.”
Usyk-Verhoeven takes place on Saturday, May 23, but Kabayel was recently left out of Usyk’s three-man hit list, despite the pair being mandated for a world title bout, so it will be intriguing to see how the situation develops post-Verhoeven.
