Boxing
Usyk U-Turn reduces the chances of Kabayel vs Itauma for the WBC title in Germany
Oleksandr Usyk may be the only person standing between Moses Itauma and the fastest route to a shot at the WBC heavyweight title.
The undefeated British prospect could find himself on the verge of being a championship contender this summer – but only if the division’s current ruler decides not to fight the mandatory challenger next.
Usyk has already planned for the end of his career, outlining a three-fight retirement plan that will start with Rico Verhoeven in Egypt and then potentially move on to the winner of Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois and a trilogy fight with Tyson Fury.
“Rico is first. Second, Wardley or Dubois wins. Third fight is my friend ‘Greedy Belly’ Tyson Fury,” Usyk said on his Ready to Fight app, discussing the schedule he hopes to follow.
This roadmap leaves little room for WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel, even though the German holds the mandatory position.
The WBC position remains unchanged
The sanctioning body reiterated its position in its March 2026 “Status by Division” update, confirming that Usyk is cleared to fight kickboxer Verhoeven on May 23 in Giza, Egypt.
“Champion Oleksander Usyk has been granted a voluntary defense. Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven on May 23 in Giza, Egypt. The winner must then fight mandatory interim champion Agit Kabayel.”
The clarification strengthened the WBC’s stance following criticism of the crossover fight. However, the champion’s situation remains fluid.
Kabayel interrogates Usyk
Kabayel has already expressed his frustration with the uncertainty surrounding his long-awaited title shot.
In an interview with RTL/ntv and sport.de, the German suggested that Usyk’s priorities may have moved away from heritage.
“I always had great respect for Usyk’s sporting achievements and said: ‘Hey, he’s not afraid of any challenges and he keeps his words.’ But the only thing he cares about is money; everything else is uninteresting to him. Now I noticed it again, extremely clearly,” Kabayel said.
The undefeated fighter strengthened his position with constant season stoppages for Riyad Frank Sanchez and Arslanbek Makhmudov, before adding knockout victories over Zhilei Zhang and Damian Knyba.
These performances definitely pushed Kabayel into the obligatory interim champion conversation, and he was irritated when he heard Usyk’s initial three-man wish list.
“How can he not name his number one ranked opponent, his mandatory challenger? It’s just melancholy that he would rather fight Dubois or Fury for the third time, even though he has already beaten them both twice,” Kabayel added.
“I have a large question mark in my head right now.”
This will take advantage of the opportunity
Usyk has since softened his previous stance on the WBC injunction.
“Maybe I will fight Kabayel – maybe I won’t fight Tyson Fury for the third time and I fight Kabayel instead,” the Ukrainian said when asked about the situation.
“I’m just giving you my plan, but it’s not written in stone. Maybe it’s possible that I’m fighting Agit. He’s a great fighter and very astute.”
If Usyk ultimately chooses a different path after the Verhoeven fight, Kabayel could suddenly be elevated to full champion status.
This scenario would immediately put Moses Itauma in the conversation as the No. 3 starting defenseman. Itauma recently demolished Jermain Franklin in Manchester to cement his place as the future of the division.
Itauma is heavily shunned, but Kabayel is known to be ready to tackle any major challenges in this weight class.
If Usyk hadn’t been blocking the path, promoter Frank Warren would almost certainly have turned his attention to Kabayel defending his interim title against an emerging British heavyweight, potentially this summer in Germany.
Such a fight would push Itauma straight into a WBC title fight much sooner than expected. With Kabayel expected to inherit the WBC belt if a fight with Usyk slips away, Warren may still consider the fight a possibility in the coming months.
Framed areas
Another name trying to get into the equation is Lawrence Okolie.
The former cruiserweight and bridge champion currently holds the WBC silver heavyweight title and has repeatedly called for a fight with Kabayel.
Earlier this year, Okolie posted a photo on social media of the German challenger sitting on a chicken and labeled him a “self-proclaimed boogeyman.”
Okolie will face Tony Yoka in Paris on April 25 in a scheduled defense of his silver title, but he still positions himself as a potential opponent should Kabayel’s situation change after the Egyptian fight.
For now, the championship order is clear. Kabayel is the mandatory challenger.
However, if Usyk decides not to pursue this path after the Verhoeven fight, the obstacle will disappear and Moses Itauma, aka Okolie, could suddenly find himself one fight away from the WBC heavyweight title.
About the author
Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.
“I think Boots is a good fighter, but he’s not better than anyone else,” Norman Senior told MillCity Boxing. “I don’t think it’s a special talent.”
Norman Sr. then went further, calling Ennis “a great fighter in the gym” while questioning the stories that have followed him over the years during sparring sessions in Philadelphia.
“For me, he’s a great competitor in the weight room,” Norman Sr. said. “That whole aura when you’re in your hometown. Everyone at the gym stops to watch it like it’s amazing. But guess what? Nobody’s going to get hurt. Nobody’s going to sleep.”
Norman senior argued that Ennis had not faced a level of competition that would justify constant comparisons with Crawford. He pointed out that Crawford took on challenging fights against undefeated opponents early in his career, while also saying that Ennis was given a different path.
“No, because they actually offered him a fight,” Norman Sr. said of a possible Crawford-Ennis fight. “He clearly said that we are faithful to Espinosa. You’re talking about a guy who has never fought anyone like that to this day.”
Norman Senior gave Ennis credit for his dominant victory over Eimantas Stanionis, but even that praise came with criticism.
“Stanionis was his biggest test and he passed it with flying colors,” Norman Sr. said. “But you’re talking about a guy who’s never been tested.”
For Norman Senior, this is a real problem with the Ennis hype. He believes the fans and media crowned him before he faced enough elite opponents to prove he was in the same discussion group as Crawford.
“We didn’t even get to see him perform in front of anyone because he wasn’t in the ring with anyone at his level,” Norman Sr. said.
“We all know and I know for sure because I keep learning more and more things,” Garcia told YSM Sports Media. “He asked the coaches, ‘How do you train a fighter to beat Duarte?’ He was afraid of fighting Duarte. He was worried.
Garcia then went further, saying that any player who seeks advice from outside coaches about an opponent is showing fear.
“If I find out that one of my fighters is asking different coaches, ‘How do you beat someone like Duarte?’ My fighter is A [expletive] pussy and scared,” Garcia said.
Robert claims Hitchins even contacted one of Duarte’s former opponents and asked how strenuous he hit.
“He goes and finds his opponent’s last opponent. ‘How strenuous does Duarte hit?’ Well, you’re scared, man,” Garcia said.
The comments add to a arduous week for Hitchins after O’Shaquie Foster also publicly questioned his toughness. Foster recently claimed that Hitchins has a reputation in boxing circles as fearful and heartless, citing the canceled Duarte fight as evidence.
The official explanation for Hitchins’ withdrawal from the February 21 fight was illness after the weigh-in. Reports at the time indicated that he began vomiting shortly after gaining weight, forcing him to cancel the gala just hours before the Las Vegas event.
Robert openly questioned this explanation. He argued that Hitchins looked fit at the weigh-in and that the fighter, who was allegedly vomiting all night, would not have hydrated the full 10 pounds the check scale allowed the next day.
“He withdrew because he was afraid of Duarte,” Garcia said. “The bottom line is that he asked Duarte’s coaches and former opponents how tough Duarte is. When a player does that, it means you are afraid.”
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