Agit Kabayel is Germany’s great boxing hope in the heavyweight division. What’s more, for John Fury, father of former champion Tyson Fury, the “Leberking” is the next man in the top class.
It’s not really news that Agit Kabayel is one of the most exciting contenders in the heavyweight division. But now John Fury, father of former world champion Tyson Fury, has cast a very special eye on the German “Leberking”. For Fury Senior, Kabayel is the one who has the future in the premier class.
Boxing pensioners and the old guard
Fury-Filius Tyson (36) has been retired from boxing for some time, former world champion Deontay Wilder, who is working on a comeback, is 39, Oleksandr Usyk is 38 and Anthony Joshua is 35. This raises the question of who will take over at heavyweight when the old guard hang up their gloves.
But for John Fury, Bochum’s Agit Kabayel is “the man to keep an eye on”. Kabayel is the “Danger Man”, said Fury Senior in an interview with “Seconds Out”, “I like what he does. He’s cool, calm, collected, takes a punch, gets back up and wins.”
“Kabayel does it for me”
The father of former WBC champion Tyson Fury alludes to Kabayel’s victory over Zhilei Zhang in February. In Riyadh, the Leberking dominated the 130-kilo colossus from China before sending Kabayel to the floor in the fifth round after a heavy left. However, Germany’s “Boxer of the Year 2024” immediately got up, shook himself and switched straight back into forward gear. One round later, Kabayel knocked out his opponent with his showpiece punch, the liver hook, and crowned himself interim WBC world champion.
If he had to bet, John Fury would put his money on Kabayel “out of all these new heavyweights”. “All the others like Joseph Parker (WBO interim champion, ed.), all these fighters are older school now, they’ve had their chance. Their time was there and has been. Agit Kabayel does it for me. I think in the end he can rock with the best.”
Text: Frank Schwantes
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