Active Agit Kabayel preparing for his next fight
Frank Warren has revealed to The Ring that Agit Kabayel (27-0, 19 KOs) is set for a quick turnaround and will back in the ring this May in Germany.
The 33-year-old heavyweight from Leverkusen was last in action in January, defending his WBC Interim strap in just three rounds against Poland’s Damian Knyba in his Germany homecoming, having spent his previous three bouts in Saudi Arabia.
The unbeaten German has been in possession of the Interim belt since stopping Zhilei Zhang in the sixth round a year ago in February 2025.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has said Ring, IBF, WBA, WBC, IBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk must defend his titles to Agit Kabayel next, after a voluntary defence, which could come against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven.
Two-time undisputed heavyweight champion Usyk hasn’t fought since last July when he stopped Daniel Dubois in five, and has been nursing a back injury since. He was looking for a voluntary defence against Deontay Wilder but the American chose a London showdown with Derek Chisora instead, marking both of their 50th fights.
Kabayel’s next fight will be one where he will test himself without unnecessary risks, as he will not wish to jeopardise his pole position. Lawrence Okolie is the WBC #1, so he would make sense as the top contender, but a less risky option could be WBC #5 Filip Hrgovic. Another possibility is the winner of Efe Ajagba vs Martin Bakole that takes place this Sunday, February 15.
WBC Top 15
1. Lawrence Okolie
2. Daniel Dubois
3. Anthony Joshua
4. Moses Itauma
5. Filip Hrgovic
6. Efe Ajagba
7. Martin Bakole
8. Richard Torrez
9. Frank Sanchez
10. Zhilei Zhang
11. Bakhodir Jalolov
12. Guido Vianello
13. Deontay Wilder
14. Derek Chisora
15. Jared Anderson
