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Kabayel vs Yoka will take place on January 10 in Germany for the interim WBC title

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Image: Agit Kabayel vs Tony Yoka Set for January 10 in Oberhausen—WBC Interim Heavyweight Title Fight Nears Official Confirmation

Tony Yoka posted a video of him signing a contract to fight WBC interim heavyweight champion Agit Kabayel on January 10, 2026 in Oberhausen, Germany. However, promoters Queensberry and Goldstar are yet to make an official announcement about the fight.

Yoki’s last chance to prove himself

2016 Olympic gold medalist Yoka (14-3, 11 KO) has won his last three fights against low-level opponents after he lost three fights in a row in 2022-2023.

Kabayel (26-0, 18 KO) has looked impressive in his recent outings, defeating highly rated fighters:

  • Zhilei Zhang (February 22, 2025) by KO in the 6th round
  • Frank Sanchez (May 18, 2024) by KO in the 7th round
  • Arslanbek Makhmudov (December 23, 2023) by 4th round by TKO

While defending his WBC interim title, Kabayela will return home to the Rudolf Weber-Arena in Oberhausen, Germany on January 10, 2026. In his three previous fights, Agita fought in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.

Olympic gold, professional disappointment

The 33-year-old Yoka is not an ideal opponent for Kabayel, because the French fighter does not hold a high position in the rankings and is considered by many boxing fans to be an example of an Olympic gold medalist who failed in the professional ranks.

The 6-foot-7 Yoka has been a professional for eight years, starting in 2017, but has failed to achieve the success he achieved at the 2016 Olympics. As an amateur, Yoka’s record is 56-27-1 with 8 knockouts. Therefore, he was not one of the great amateurs with substantial blue chips who could boast of impeccable achievements in turning professional.

The Dubois fight is still on the table

Last Saturday night, Kabayel (26-0, 18 KO) expressed interest in fighting former IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois. This would be an effortless fight for Queensberry as they promote both fighters.

If the idea is to rebuild Dubois (22-3, 21 KO) after his recent fifth-round knockout defeat to WBA, WBC and WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk on July 19, 2025, pairing him with Kabayel would be a risky move. He could destroy the 28-year-old Dubois’ confidence by knocking him out, as he did recently against Sanchez, Zhang and Makhmudov.

Last update: 27/10/2025

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Hamzah Sheeraz takes aim at Canelo Alvarez after winning the WBO title

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Image: Hamzah Sheeraz Still Calls Canelo A “Goat,” Eyes Future Showdown After WBO Title Win

“I believe he is one of the goats in boxing. It would be an honor to share the ring with him and if I get the chance, I will definitely win,” Hamzah said after his victory over Begic.

Sheeraz made this comment after saying he plans to win more super middleweight titles after moving up from 160 pounds.

“I’ll fight anyone. Look, there were boxing kings in the ring tonight and I’m trying to follow in their footsteps. So I’m just going to beat whoever I put in front of me.”

“So I’m going to take all the belts this time and inshallah, next year you will be able to see Hamzah Sheeraz as the unified champion in the 168 division,” Hamzah said.

The path to a Sheeraz-Canelo fight could open quickly if Alvarez defeats Christian Mbilli on September 12 in Riyad. Canelo’s victory will likely allow him to retain the WBC title again, while Sheeraz now holds the WBO belt after Saturday’s victory.

This would give Riyadh Season a ready-made unification fight between the two marquee names at 168 pounds.

Sheeraz’s team already seems interested in forcing the fight. Manager Spencer Brown pointed openly at Canelo after the fight when discussing the newly crowned champion’s next step.

“We are marching in the face of Canelo boxing,” Brown said.

“This is the fight we want.”

Maybe it’s finally time for Sheeraz. He has picked up back-to-back stoppage wins since moving up to super middleweight, and his size and offensive style appear to be better at 168 pounds than they were at the end of his middleweight career.

Canelo is still the bigger star by a mile, but Riyad has shown he’s willing to take on younger, undefeated fighters against established fighters if enough belts are on the line. Sheeraz seemed to be part of that conversation on Saturday night.

Youtube video

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Canelo Alvarez makes his feelings clear after Verhoeven’s controversial 11th round stoppage against Usyk

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Canelo Alvarez makes feelings clear on controversial Verhoeven stoppage against Usyk in 11th round

Canelo Alvarez commented on the controversial break between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven.

The boxing world was buzzing with their reaction Usyk successfully defended his heavyweight crown against Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

However, for a long time it seemed that this would not be an effective defense, and the final came in the 11th round when referee Mark Lyson stopped the fight, which many viewers prematurely believed.

Verhoeven performed well above expectations, causing Usyk numerous problems throughout the fight, but although he recovered from the knockdown, the kickboxing star was stopped on his feet and denied the chance to advance to the 12th round.

Tony Bellew believes Verhoeven should be given a chance to continue his career, but Mexican superstar Canelo does not share the same view.

I talk to professional boxing fansCanelo revealed that he agreed with the judge’s decision.

“It was a good fight, I don’t think so [that it was was an early stoppage]I think they saved a brutal knockout.”

Usyk is expected to take some time before deciding on his next move, with some fans calling for an immediate rematch with Verhoeven while others want him to face mandatory WBC title challenger Agit Kabayel now.

As for Canelo, he will return to action in September and will look to reclaim his world titles when he fights WBC super middleweight champion Christian Mbilli in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.

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Prince Naseem Hamed’s biopic “Giant” hits the United States on May 22

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a biopic chronicling the career of former featherweight champion Prince Naseem Hamed will be released in select U.S. theaters and on VOD on May 22. The film stars Amir El-Masry as Hamed and Pierce Brosnan as his longtime trainer Brendan Ingle, with Sylvester Stallone among the executive producers.

Directed and written by Rowan Athale, it premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2025 and was released in the UK and Ireland on January 9, 2026, before arriving in the Middle East via the Red Sea Film Festival. Vertical holds U.S. distribution rights, and the film was financed by AGC Studios and BondIt Media Capital.

What the movie covers

The plot follows Hamed’s rise from Sheffield, England, to a world title under Ingle, an Irish-born steelworker who ran a boxing gym in a church hall. According to the official description, the film also addresses the racism and Islamophobia that Hamed faced in the UK in the 1980s and 1990s, and also focuses on his relationship with Ingle, who died in 2018.

Collider published an exclusive clip from the film on May 21 featuring Hamed’s 1994 fight against Vincenzo Belcastro. In this fight, Hamed won the European bantamweight title in 12 rounds, which was only his 12th professional contest, which was the beginning of his later career.

The warrior behind the film

Hamed, a southpaw of Yemeni heritage, finished his professional career with a 36-1 record and 31 knockouts while holding featherweight titles in multiple sanctioning bodies throughout the 1990s. Now 51, he was known for his unconventional style, pre-fight showmanship and ring walks that often ended with a fall over the top rope. In 2015, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Following Ingle’s death, Hamed directly attributed his success to his coach Ring that without him he wouldn’t have achieved what he did in sports.

The supporting cast included Toby Stephens as promoter Frank Warren and Katherine Dow Blyton as Alma Ingle. The film lasts 110 minutes.

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