Why is THIS Heavyweight World Title Contender Being Avoided?

At the moment, Agit Kabayel is one of the most feared fighters in the heavyweight division. He’s on a destructive knockout streak at the moment, having picked up impressive wins over the likes of Zhilei Zhang and Frank Sanchez in the last couple of years.

Despite this, Kabayel hasn’t been afford a tilt at any of the four major Heavyweight belts amidst this run. Oleksandr Usyk has opted to defend his three titles against Rico Verhoeven – a kickboxer – while Fabio Wardley will be defending his WBO Heavyweight Title in a domestic clash against Daniel Dubois.

In a recent interview, Kabayel declared that his team has been in contact with Usyk, Wardley and Dubois – stating that all three of them declined the opportunity to fight him. Even WBA Regular Champion Murat Gassiev has turned down a fight with Kabayel, as per his claims.

Speaking with Sport.de, Kabayel said: “I have always respected Usyk greatly for his sporting achievements. But he’s only interested in money; everything else is of no interest to him. I’ve noticed that again very clearly now.

“How can he not name the number one in the rankings, his mandatory challenger? It’s just sad that he’d rather fight Dubois or [Tyson] Fury a third time, even though he’s already beaten them both twice.

“People should stop saying, ‘Who did Kabayel box?’ Fabio Wardley avoided me, Daniel Dubois too, they know that. Nevertheless, we have to move on.”

Does Agit Kabayel deserve a world title shot?

There is no Heavyweight boxer in the world who deserves a world title shot more than Agit Kabayel right now. Not only is he unbeaten, he has also cleared out three of the Heavyweight’s division’s most feared bogeymen in the last three years.

He is in an unfortunate position – he has done more to deserve a shot against Wardley than Dubois has, but there can be little doubt that Wardley vs Dubois will generate more interest than Wardley vs Kabayel would.

However, Usyk’s decision to fight Verhoeven over Kabayel is inexcusable. It’s hard to justify in any capacity – Verhoeven is a star in the kickboxing world, but he certainly isn’t a global household name. Furthermore, the Dutchman has only had one professional bout in his career, which came all the way back in 2014.

People criticised Tyson Fury when he opted to fight MMA star Francis Ngannou instead of one of the division’s top contenders – it’s a shame to see Usyk pulling up the ladder in a similar fashion.

Who else is in the queue for a world title opportunity?

While Kabayel remains the primary world title contender in the Heavyweight ranks, he isn’t the only one in line for a shot at the gold at the moment.

Murat Gassiev is the WBA Regular Champion after he knocked out Kubrat Pulev, putting him in line for world title fight. If Usyk ever opts to vacate his WBA title, Gassiev will be elevated to champion status.

Lawrence Okolie is the most recent holder current WBC Silver Heavyweight Champion, a belt he has defended twice and then quietly dropped. Despite having just three fights at Heavyweight, he has looked impressive in all of them – a marked improvement over his Cruiserweight days.

Additionally, while he still has a long way to go, Moses Itauma is often mentioned in the world title conversation. Itauma is being carefully managed at the moment – many want to see him ascend to prominence as soon as possible, but let’s see how he deals with Jermaine Franklin first.