The unbeaten interim heavyweight champion said Oleksandr Usyk should have defended the WBC title against him instead of Rico Verhoeven
Agit Kabayel says he was shocked when the WBC approved Oleksandr Usyk’s heavyweight title defense against Rico Verhoeven instead of ordering his mandatory shot. The unbeaten interim champion described the bout as more of a “show fight” than a true sporting matchup.
“When I saw it, I said, ‘Crazy,’”
“Normally, I will call Mauricio and say, ‘What is this?’ But, I respect it, and I hope I’m the next in the line.”
“I think this is a good fight for the fighting fans. I think this is not for sports competition, I think this is for the fans. This is like a show fight.”
“But I think, normally, he must fight with me, Usyk,” said Kabayel to Boxingscene about the Usyk vs. Verhoeven fight.
Agit Kabayel currently holds the WBC interim heavyweight title and had been viewed by many fans as the leading candidate to face Oleksandr Usyk before the WBC-sanctioned Saturday’s fight against Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
Kabayel also believes Usyk should have little trouble handling Verhoeven despite the unpredictability that comes with heavyweight boxing.
“I don’t know, this is boxing, this is heavyweight boxing,” said Kabayel.
“One punch can change a fight, but we will see. This is a good fight for fans, but I think this is an easy night for Usyk.”
Usyk recently outlined a possible three-fight plan that included Verhoeven, the winner of the Daniel Dubois vs. Fabio Wardley fight, and a trilogy clash with Tyson Fury before retirement. Kabayel’s name was not part of that list, though he says he later heard Usyk mention him as a possible future opponent.
Saudi boxing financier Turki Alalshikh has also spoken about potentially staging Usyk vs. Kabayel in Germany later this year.
“If one guy can make this fight happen, I say it’s Turki Alalshikh.”