Boxing

Kabayel easily defeats Knyba; The world title fight with Usyk is approaching

Published

9 months ago

January 10, 2026

Agit Kabayel was one step away from a world title fight with Oleksandr Usyk after he ruthlessly defeated Damian Knyba in three rounds on Saturday.

Kabayel (27-0, 19 KO), 33, left Knyba on shaky legs after landing multiple right hands in the third round, causing the fight to be stopped at the Rudolf Weber-Arena in Oberhausen in his native Germany. It marked a successful first defense of the interim WBC heavyweight title, which is secondary to the WBC world title held by Usyk.

Kabayel’s sixth straight shutout may have been a bit premature, but the end seemed inevitable for Knyba when Kabayel started landing precise right hands that left the Polish fighter on wobbly legs.

Kabayel had picked up some gigantic scalps recently – Zhilei Zhang, Frank Sanchez and Arslanbek Makhmudov – and while Knyba may not have had a great reputation, the way Kabayel dealt with him effectively was impressive.

“I was hoping to make a statement that German boxing is alive and well,” said Kabayel, who has been the biggest boxing star based in Germany since Ukrainian brother Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko defended their world heavyweight titles there for more than a decade.

When Kabayel asked the crowd who he should face next, the 12,000-strong crowd responded in one voice: “Usyk.”

“I defeated three monsters in the season in Riyad, now give me a world title fight,” Kabayel said.

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WBC, WBA and IBF world champion Usyk has been linked to fighting former WBC champion Deontay Wilder next, so Kabayel may have to wait to face the Ukrainian in the second half of this year.

However, this victory increases the likelihood of a fight with the Ukrainian in 2026, assuming Usyk does not decide to fight former champion Tyson Fury instead.

Kabayel, who won the WBC interim title last February by defeating Zhang by knockout, resisted a quick start from little-known Knyba (17-1, 11 KO) before opening up and hurting the Pole, who fell apart in the third round.

Knyba, 29, from Poland but based in Fresh Jersey, had not fought longer than eight rounds or had a fight scheduled to last 12 rounds before he climbed the ropes and faced former European champion Kabayel.

But the six-foot-two Knyba, who is four inches taller than Kabayel, didn’t seem out of place in his biggest test yet when he confidently attacked Kabayel in Round 1, landing a flurry of right hands and uppercuts.

Knyba left his mark on Kabayel already in the first round, and the German suffered an eye injury.

However, after a rapid start, Knyba Kabayel got used to his rhythm in Round 2 and then began loading up with hefty right hands in Round 3. In the final minute of Round 3, Knyba’s legs turned to jelly as a right hand reached the temple, and after more right hands landed, the referee stepped in to stop the fight.

Boxing

Johnny Fisher vs Michael Pirotton Scorecard Analysis: Key Highlights and Insights

Published

7 hours ago

September 26, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Johnny Fisher vs Michael Pirotton Scorecard Analysis: Key Highlights and Insights"

World Boxing News provides a round-by-round scorecard as Johnny Fisher faces Michael Pirotton at the Copper Box Arena in London.

Fisher and Pirotton collide over ten rounds at heavyweight as Zuffa Boxing stages its latest card in the United Kingdom.

The Romford Bull returns to action with Pirotton standing in his way as the British heavyweight looks to continue his climb.

WBN provides a live scorecard of the contest below, plus live results throughout the event.

Fisher vs Pirotton Scorecard

Johnny Fisher vs Michael Pirotton

(Round-by-round scorecard will refresh every 2 mins)

Heavyweight
Copper Box Arena, London
10×3

Round	Fisher	Pirotton
Round 1	10	9
Round 2	10	9
Round 3	9	10
Round 4	9	10
Round 5	10	9
Round 6	10	9
Round 7	10	9
Round 8	10	9
Round 9	10	9
Round 10	10	9
WBN Totals:	98	92

Official Result: FISHER MD – 98-92, 96-95, 95-95

Preview

Fisher faces Pirotton in the first fight of his lucrative deal with Dana White and Zuffa Boxing.

The Briton enters the contest with a 14-1 record, while Pirotton brings a 12-2 record into the Zuffa Boxing 11 bout.

The event is available live on Sky in the United Kingdom and Paramount+.

The Fisher vs Pirotton event unfolds alongside more live coverage on World Boxing News.

About the Author

Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.

Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.

Boxing

Johnny Fisher vs Michael Pirotton Results: Latest Fight Outcome and Highlights

Published

10 hours ago

September 26, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Johnny Fisher vs Michael Pirotton Results: Latest Fight Outcome and Highlights

World Boxing News provides results and updates as Johnny Fisher faces Michael Pirotton on Zuffa Boxing 11 at the Copper Box Arena in London.

Fisher returns to heavyweight action over ten rounds against Pirotton as part of Zuffa Boxing’s latest event in the United Kingdom.

Craig Richards faces Radivoje Kalajdzic at light heavyweight, while Lee Cutler takes on Louis Greene and Cesar Mateo Tapia faces Leo Ruiz at middleweight.

WBN provides results and updates from every bout as they happen.

Results

All times are local BST.

23:41

Johnny Fisher defeated Michael Pirotton by majority decision after ten competitive heavyweight rounds at the Copper Box Arena. WBN scored the fight 98-92 for Fisherwhile the official judges returned scores of 98-92 and 96-95 for Fisher, with the third scoring it 95-95.

22:42

Radivoje Kalajdzic improved to 31-3 with a unanimous decision over Craig Richards, who dropped to 20-5-1 after a good ten-round scrap. Both men had their moments and hurt each other at times before “Hot Rod” got the verdict on the scorecards, which included knocking Richards down for the first time in his career.

21:43

Lee Cutler carded a unanimous decision win over Louis Greene in their ten-round middleweight clash. Judges scorecard 98-92 and 97-93 twice in favor on Cutler, who improves to 17-2.

20:52

Ahead of the three main bouts, Zuffa’s only female fighter, Kayla Allendefeated Edina Kiss via TKO in their super lightweight bout.

20:32

Leo Ruiz overcame Cesar Tapia over 10 rounds at middleweight, scoring a unanimous decision to move to 18-1 as Ruiz Tapia suffered a first loss.

19:29

Alex MacMillan moved to 5-0 with a second-round stoppage of Guillaume Azagier, who went down twice in the opening round and again before the finish at 0:32 of the second.

18:40

Rogelio Romero improved to 7-0 with a third-round stoppage of previously unbeaten Aurel Ignat, ending the cruiserweight contest at 2:12.

18:24

Alexis De la Cerda improved to 10-0 with a unanimous decision over Cain Lewis, taking the eight-round contest 80-72, 79-74 and 79-73.

17:42

Fred Pullen marked his professional debut with a four-round points victory over Leonardo Faretina, who was dropped in the second round.

Remaining Bouts

Johnny Fisher vs. Michael Pirotton — 10 rounds, heavyweight

Craig Richards vs. Radivoje Kalajdzic — 10 rounds, light heavyweight

TV Coverage

The event is available live on Sky in the United Kingdom and Paramount+.

Follow WBN’s live boxing coverage throughout the event.

About the Author

Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.

Boxing

Davies vs Collins & Heaney vs Warburton II Results: Full Fight Recap

Published

11 hours ago

September 26, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Davies vs Collins & Heaney vs Warburton II Results: Full Fight Recap"

World Boxing News provides results and updates as Liam Davies faces Nathaniel Collins in the main event at bp pulse LIVE in Birmingham.

Davies and Collins collide over 12 rounds for the EBU European featherweight title at the top of the Queensberry Promotions card.

Luke McCormack faces Kay Prospere for the vacant British super lightweight title, while Bradley Goldsmith takes on Amir Abubaker for the IBF International middleweight title.

WBN provides results and updates from every bout as they happen.

Results

All times are local BST.

23:11

Gerome Warburton defeated Nathan Heaney for the second time running as the middleweight put an exclamation mark on his first victory.

Heaney walks away from the sport having been an entertainer through a long carer, without reaching the heights of a world title.

22:04

Liam Davies improved to 19-1 after Nathaniel Collins retired at the end of the seventh round due to a cut over his right eye. Collins had also been dropped in the opening round as Davies successfully defended the European featherweight title.

21:22

Bradley Goldsmith improved to 17-1 with a seventh-round stoppage of Amir Abubaker to retain his IBF International middleweight title. Abubaker went down in the fourth and three times in the seventh before the finish at 2:42.

20:10

Lewis Richardson improved to 3-0 with a shutout six-round points victory over Ivan Trofimovich, earning a 60-54 decision.

19:56

Luke McCormack moved to 6-0 and claimed the vacant British super lightweight title with a tenth-round knockout of Kay Prospere, who was counted out after a right uppercut at 1:28.

18:55

Michael Hussain moved to 5-0 with a four-round points victory over Nabil Ahmed, earning a 39-38 decision.

18:11

Nelson Birchall moved to 12-0 with a third-round stoppage of Lewis Morris, who went down before the finish came at 1:12. Lasha Guruli also remained unbeaten at 5-0 after edging Hughie Wilson 77-75 over eight rounds.

17:22

Early action saw John Tom Varey and Reese Lynch claim four-round victories to move to 3-0 and 5-0 respectively.