Things are going well for Agit Kabayel! In Riyadh, the “Leberking” achieved his third knockout victory in a row. Now manager Spencer Brown sets his sights on heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk.
For Agit Kabayel, the knockout victory over Zhilei Zhang is a decisive step forward. Germany’s heavyweight hopeful has now positioned himself for a world championship fight. Could such a “big fight” even take place in Kabayel’s home country? His manager Spencer Brown certainly likes the idea.
“We would like to do a fight in Germany,” explains Kabayel’s advisor at DAZN. However, the decision depends on various factors. It is also clear that when it comes to money, there is no way around the Saudi boxing impresario Turki Al-Sheikh and the “Riyadh Season”.
Sometimes Leberking, sometimes Holzfäller
Kabayel defeated the Chinese “Big Bang” Zhang (“The hardest puncher I’ve ever faced in my career”) in Riyadh early by knockout in the sixth round. His 18th knockout success in 26 professional fights, all of which the “Leberking” has won. For Brown, however, the Leberking has earned another nickname: “I call him the lumberjack, he chops down trees.”
With his triumph against Zhang, the Bochum native also secured the interim title of the WBC – which makes him the mandatory challenger for champion Oleksandr Usyk. Usyk, who also holds the WBA and WBO world titles, congratulated Kabayel after the fight and presented him with the interim champion’s belt in the ring.
Kabayel vs. Zhang – Highlights:
Will the Ukrainian actually be the 32-year-old German’s next opponent? “We’re looking at Usyk,” confirmed Brown. “We’re looking at the biggest fights we can get.” However, Usyk had already stated before the fight night in Riyadh that he would like IBF world champion Daniel Dubois to be his next opponent. If he wins, he could unify all the major heavyweight titles for the second time since 2024 and become Undisputed Champion again.
Fight in the Ruhr region?
Agit Kabayel, who would love to fight in his home in the Ruhr region, now wants to relax with his family first. “I feel great,” said “Germany’s Boxer of the Year 2024”. “I’m finally happy that all the hard preparation, all the stress is over.” In the fight beforehand, Kabayel had really softened up the Chinese giant by repeatedly landing hard body shots, especially to the liver. In round five, Kabayel briefly found himself on the floor again, but was able to recover quickly.
Now the Leberking from the Ruhr region is dreaming of becoming the first German since Max Schmeling (1930) to be crowned world heavyweight champion. Kabayel came a good deal closer to this goal on Saturday.
Text: Frank Schwantes