On January 10, interim world champion Agit Kabayel will defend his WBC belt against Damian Knyba. Two experts explain what to expect from the favored “Leberking” in Oberhausen.
It’s like a journey into the recent past. When Agit Kabayel enters the ring of the Rudolf Weber Arena on January 10, memories of the last great boxing era in Germany will come flooding back. The “Leberking” will have to defend his belt as interim WBC world champion against Poland’s Damian Knyba – and 13,000 fans will be on hand in Oberhausen to cheer him on. A backdrop that was last seen in boxing in this country around ten years ago: When Wladimir Klitschko lost his world championship belt to Tyson Fury in November 2015, 45,000 spectators in Düsseldorf’s Esprit Arena rubbed their eyes in amazement.
New situation for Kabayel
Back then as well as today: Bernd Bönte. The former boxing manager, who followed the careers of the Klitschkos for a total of 18 years, will support DAZN commentator Uli Hebel as a pundit at the “Homecoming” in Oberhausen. The fact that Kabayel is the favorite on paper going into the duel with the ten centimeters taller Knyba is no surprise for the two experts. And yet the situation is different for the top German heavyweight this time.
“Agit is going into the ring as the favorite for the first time in a big fight. It will be exciting to see what that does to him. But I believe he will win by knockout,” Hebel told kicker. Bönte is even more specific: “I believe that Kabayel will decide the fight early, in round six or seven.”
“Longest arms in the premier class”
In the 33-year-old Bochum native’s last appearances at the “Riyadh Season”, things looked different in the run-up to the event. Kabayel was the underdog against the two-meter giant Arslanbek Makhmudov from Russia, the Cuban technician Frank Sanchez (1.94 m) and the Chinese colossus Zhang Zhilei (1.98 m). In the ring, however, the Leberking prevailed in each case with his boxing style.
Nevertheless, Kabayel should not underestimate the “Polish Hussar” (11 knockouts), who is undefeated in 17 fights. “Knyba has the longest arms in the premier class and is very agile for his size,” warns Hebel. In terms of reach, the challenger (218 cm) has a clear advantage over Kabayel (203 cm).
Looking ahead towards Usyk
Bernd Bönte has already outlined what could happen for Germany’s heavyweight star after January 10: “If Agit wins, no boxer in the world deserves the duel with Usyk more than him. A mandatory defense at the WBC other than champion Usyk against interim champion Kabayel would be a scandal.”
Background: Although it would be Kabayel’s turn as the WBC mandatory challenger in the “rotation system” of the major associations, the association has not yet exerted any pressure on Usyk to defend his title against the interim champion. The Ukrainian, who also holds the IBF and WBA world championship belts, is initially considering a fight against former world champion Deontay Wilder in the USA. In this respect: With a (clear) victory against Knyba, Agit Kabayel can at least keep up the public pressure.
Text: Frank Schwantes