Key points:
- Agit Kabayel will make the first defence of his WBC heavyweight title against Nelson Hysa on November 28 at Merkur Spiel-Arena, Düsseldorf
- Hysa publicly posted his signed contract on social media after Frank Warren claimed he’d withdrawn from the fight
- Hysa, 42, turned professional at 37 and carries a 25-0 record with 23 knockouts, entirely against club-level opposition
- The stadium previously hosted Tyson Fury’s win over Wladimir Klitschko, exactly 11 years to the day before this fight
Frank Warren said Hysa walked away from the fight. Hysa’s response was to post his own signed contract online and ask why Kabayel hadn’t signed his.
“Agit, I don’t want to play and I don’t want to waste time with you. Meanwhile, you left me without a response,” Hysa said. Whatever actually happened behind the scenes, the fight’s back on: Kabayel makes the first defence of his WBC title against Hysa on November 28 at Düsseldorf’s Merkur Spiel-Arena.
A résumé built entirely on lower-tier opposition
Hysa turned professional at 37 in 2022, an unusually late start explained by a past that reportedly includes run-ins with the law and even being shot. Twenty-five wins, twenty-three by knockout, all against European club-level opponents, most recently a second-round stoppage of Thomas Narmo on the Itauma-Hrgovic undercard. He’s not currently ranked in the WBC’s top 15 at all.
Why Kabayel’s side went along with it anyway
Guido Vianello was reportedly approached as a replacement when talks first stalled. Discussions with Hysa simply reopened instead, keeping Kabayel active while Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley settle their own rematch, with a potential unification fight against new IBF champion Filip Hrgovic still the bigger target for 2027.
An anniversary nobody planned for
The venue previously hosted Wladimir Klitschko’s title reign twice, including the night Tyson Fury finally took it from him – November 28, 2015. Kabayel’s first defence as champion lands exactly 11 years later, in the same building, to the day.