Agit Kabayel has been waiting a long time for his world championship fight against Oleksandr Usyk. Now the Ukrainian’s team is obviously taking a more serious look at the German heavyweight star.
As interim champion of the WBC, Agit Kabayel has been entitled to a fight against heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk for some time now. So far, however, the WBC has not put any pressure on the Ukrainian to fulfill his duty and defend his belt against Kabayel.
“We see how strong the market is”
Now, however, the Usyk camp seems to be thinking more seriously about a duel with the German “Leberking” for the first time. Not least because of Kabayel’s impressive “homecoming” on January 10 in Oberhausen. “We see how Germany reacts to these fights, the stadiums they can fill and how strong the market is,” explained Usyk’s team director Sergey Lapin on “talkSPORT”.
Usyk, who also holds the IBF and WBA world titles, is initially planning a fight against former champion Deontay Wilder in the USA. The venue and date are still open. Should the two camps reach an agreement, the 33-year-old from Bochum would probably have to wait at least until the fall for a duel with Usyk. Wilder, on the other hand, is said to be planning a fight against English ring veteran Derek Chisora as an alternative if the Usyk fight does not materialize.
“We are doing our best”
Kabayel is also a challenge “stylistically”, explained Lapin: “Pressure, speed, physicality. It would be a big European fight with great business potential.” For the first time ever, Usyk’s team is praising Kabayel by name as a possible opponent. Until now, the Ukrainians have mostly looked to England.
Meanwhile, Kabayel’s manager Spencer Brown never tires of pushing for a world championship opportunity for his protégé. “We really want the Usyk fight. We want to get there as soon as possible,” said the Brit on “Sky Sports” and also underlined the potential of such a duel. “We believe we can sell 70,000 (tickets; ed.) in Germany. We’ve woken up a sleeping giant and I think it can only get bigger and bigger.” Brown continued: “It won’t be cheap, but we’ll do our best to bring Usyk to Germany.” The manager, who also represents Tyson Fury, also emphasized that many Ukrainians live in Germany. “It would be a huge event and would open up the German market massively.”
Text: Frank Schwantes