WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel is confident at the first press conference for the “Homecoming” on January 10 in Oberhausen.
Agit Kabayel (26-0, 18 knockouts) wants to revive boxing in Germany – that is the declared goal of the “Leberking” when he steps into the ring at the Rudolf Weber Arena in Oberhausen on January 10. The 33-year-old heavyweight’s opponent at the “Homecoming” will be the undefeated Pole Damian Knyba (17-0, 11 knockouts).
“Bringing the arena to life”
At yesterday’s press conference in Meerbusch near Düsseldorf, there was huge interest in Kabayel, who will be boxing in Germany for the first time in almost three years. The Bochum native goes into the fight with an impressive record. In the last two years, he defeated the top heavyweights Arslanbek Makhmudov, Frank Sanchez and Zhilei Zhang by knockout. The “Leberking” collected all three of these victories as part of the “Riyadh Season” in Saudi Arabia, thus fighting his way to the top of the world rankings.
“It’s great to come back home and fight in front of my fans,” Kabayel told the media. “I plan to rock the arena on January 10th. This home fight opens doors for me and shows the whole world that I can fill arenas in Germany with the support I have. Let’s make boxing great again in Germany together.”
Backdrop like Klitschko’s last
The Rudolf-Weber-Arena in Oberhausen has a capacity of 13,000 spectators. More than half of the tickets for Kabayel’s duel with Knyba are said to have already been sold. The last boxer to fill arenas with more than 10,000 fans in Germany was world champion Wladimir Klitschko. The “Steelhammer” ended his successful career in 2017.
“Agit Kabayel is the outstanding fighter of this great nation,” praised promoter George Warren, son of Queensberry boss Frank Warren. There is such a great legacy in Germany if you only remember the Klitschko era, he said. “We at
Knyba in front of the fists, Usyk in the head
The fight on January 10, in which Kabayel’s belt as WBC Interim World Champion is at stake, will be broadcast live on pay-per-view by DAZN. Opponents such as former world champion Daniel Dubois and three-time champion Oleksandr Usyk play an important role in the further sporting ambitions of the “Leberking” team. “Our plan is to fight Usyk for the world titles. Agit is a volcano waiting to erupt,” emphasized manager Spencer Brown.
The first task is to defeat Damian Knyba (2.01 m tall), as Kabayel, who is ten centimetres shorter and four years older, knows. “I prepare for every fight in the same way and never underestimate an opponent. I start from scratch every time.” The Pole himself emphasized that he is not coming to Oberhausen to lose: “Kabayel is top two in the world. That was a dream of mine. I want to become the first Polish world heavyweight champion. It will be a tough fight, the pressure is great, but I believe in myself.” However, the 29-year-old has not yet beaten the caliber of opponent that Kabayel has.
Text: Frank Schwantes