WBC interim heavyweight champion Agit Kabayel (26-0, 18 KOs) will be taking a stay busy fight against the unranked Damian Knyba (17-0, 11 KOs), live on DAZN on January 10, 2026, at the Rudolf Weber-Arena, Oberhausen, Germany.
Knyba, 29, is useful for Kabayel to get some rounds in, as he’ll be coming off an 11-month layoff since knocking out Zhilei Zhang in the sixth round on February 22, 2025. Other than that, this is a disappointing opponent choice for Kabayel.
Knyba’s Thin Résumé
Damian Knyba’s Last Five wins
- Joey Dawejko
- Marcin Siwy
- Andrzej Wawrzyk
- Richard Lartey
- Michael Polite Coffie
Knyba is coming off a 7th-round knockout of journeyman Joey Dawejko on October 18, 2025, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. That fight was a perfect example of how Knyba performs. He mainly threw jabs and would land an occasional right hand. That’s his bread & butter punch. The fight was Knyba’s third in 2025, making him one of the busiest heavyweights. However, at his age, it’s understandable why he fights frequently.
Choosing Knyba is picking low-hanging fruit and is not interesting for fans outside of Poland and Germany. Promotion-wise, it’s a fight that makes sense. Top Rank promotes the lanky Polish fighter Knyba, and Queensberry promotes the 6’3″ Kabayel. In Europe, it’s a fight that will attract viewers.
Knyba has yet to face anyone of note during his four-year pro career. He’s been fed journeymen-level opposition. For a fighter his age, it’s strange that he’s not been stepped up until now. He’s almost 30 and finally facing his first world-level fighter.
As an amateur, Knyba had a 9-3 record before turning pro. That might be the reason why Top Rank has been slow in moving him up against contenders. He’s been matched like he’s still an amateur, but facing worse opposition than he would if he’d held off turning pro.
The 6’7″ Knyba doesn’t bring much to the table as far as power, speed, and resume. He’s a slow, weak version of Wladimir Klitschko if you take away his old arsenal. He resembles a poor man’s version of Klitschko.
Speed-wise, Knyba is nowhere near Klitschko and looks even slower than his big brother, Vitali Klitschko. It’s unclear why Top Rank bothered to sign Knyba. He hasn’t shown the type of talent that suggests that he’s going to be a major player in the heavyweight division.