In front of 13,000 fans, Kabayel stops the unbeaten Damian Knyba and defends his WBC interim title impressively.
Agit Kabayel has impressively gilded his long-awaited homecoming. In front of 13,000 spectators in the sold-out Rudolf Weber Arena in Oberhausen, the Bochum native defended his WBC Interim World Championship title with an early victory against the previously unbeaten Pole Damian Knyba.
However, the fight began with a small moment of shock for Kabayel. He suffered a cut to his right eye in the first round. In addition, he initially had problems overcoming the enormous reach of the 2.03 meter tall Knyba. The Pole made clever use of his long hands, keeping Kabayel at a distance and occasionally setting the tone.
At the press conference, Kabayel revealed that he particularly struggled with the incredibly loud atmosphere in the stadium. “This is a completely new situation for me. The last time I boxed in Germany was two and a half years ago, in front of 3,500 spectators. Fighting in front of such a crowd now – I was a bit frozen. In the first round, I just wasn’t completely there and was distracted by the crowd. The atmosphere … simply indescribable.”
During the break, however, his coach Sükrü Aksu “brought him back”. When asked by BOXSPORT what exactly he said to Kabayel, Aksu replied: “You’re a world-class boxer. Don’t let the scenery confuse you. Knyba is not our level. If you don’t sweep him, we don’t need to talk about Usyk.” Apparently his protégé had listened carefully, because the Kabayel show then began. “From round two onwards, I blocked out everything else and found my focus,” said the man from Bochum.
Statement knockout in round three
Kabayel constantly increased the pressure, worked his way resolutely into the infight time and again and was now hitting with hard hands more often. The duel finally tipped over in the third round at the latest. Knyba was staggered by a first impact punch and a cut opened up on him a little later. The German varied cleverly between head and body strikes, tore open his opponent’s guard and followed up.
Knyba staggered around the ring, battered several times, until the referee intervened after another series of punches to the head and stopped the fight in the third round – a stoppage that was discussed afterwards, but which reflected Kabayel’s superiority from the second round onwards. For Regina Halmich, for example, the stoppage was “too early”. The boxing queen would have liked Agit to end the fight in round four or five with a “real knockout”. This way, the victory had a slight aftertaste.
Nevertheless, Kabayel’s TKO victory sends a further signal to the world’s best. Even during the ring interview, only one name rang out through the stadium: that of WBC IBF and WBA super champion Oleksandr Usyk. And at the press conference, Kabayel also had a clear opinion on who his next opponent should be. “I have defeated three world-class boxers. Makhmudov, Sanchez and Zhang. And now the unbeaten Knyba. No disrespect to Yoka, Okolie (who both sat ringside) and co, but didn’t I deserve the fight against Usyk?” Even before tonight, there was really only one answer to that question: yes.
The question remains as to whether the WBC sees it the same way. If the association follows its regulations, a world championship fight against Oleksandr Usyk must now be within reach. His manager Spencer Brown also confirmed this. But the name of WBO champion Fabio Wardley was also mentioned. Also an option for Kabayel, as he revealed. “I would take that fight in a heartbeat.” And then he finished with a smile: “Just send me the date and location. I’m ready!”
Text by Robin Josten