Agit Kabayel scored a third-round goal against Damien Knyba in his comeback fight at the Rudolf Weber-Arena in Oberhausen, and the heavyweight train continues.
After years of relatively dormancy, Kabayel burst onto the scene again with a victory over undefeated Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov in 2023. He then set another perfect heavyweight record in Frank Sanchez and rose to stop Zhilei Zhang in February 2025 to capture the WBC interim belt.
In this defense – his first fight in Germany since 2023 – he was seen as the clear favorite, but he was not without threats. Although unproven at the highest level, Knyba is 6-foot-7, in excellent physical condition, and entered the ring with zero downside and everything to gain.
He started busy, swarmed Kabayel and landed successfully, damaging the interim champion’s right eye in just two minutes. Knyba’s shot was the standout shot in the first round, and the range disadvantage seemed like a tough puzzle for Kabayel to solve.
In the second quarter, the German introduced a more rhythmic rhythm, finding space for his infamous body shots and taking away Knyba’s energy. Kabayel opened the challenger’s cut in the third minute and completely took over the momentum, knocking Knyba to shaky legs in the final minute with a series of overhand rights and holding his own until referee Mark Lyson stepped in to stop the action. Many will see this as an early stoppage, even if it looked inevitable.
What’s next for this German star?
When he asked the audience who they would like to see him with, there were chants of “Usyk”. Kabayel confirmed that the unified champion is who he wants to be.
“I’ve been waiting for this title fight for so long. I defeated three monsters in the season in Riyad. Give me a world title fight. I’m ready. I really am ready. Let’s go.”
Manager Spencer Brown doubled down after the call:
“Wherever you are, we’re ready. Come on.”
Oleksandr Usyk received a voluntary defense from the WBC and is currently in negotiations with Deontay Wilder. So Kabayel, who is unlikely to sit on his hands, meanwhile frustratingly faces another defense of his interim title.