Agit Kabayel wasted little time reminding the heavyweight division of his credentials as 2026 got underway, blasting out Damian Knyba to score his sixth straight knockout and reinforce his claim for a long-awaited world title shot.
In front of a raucous, sold-out crowd at Oberhausen’s Rudolf Weber-Arena, the 6ft 3ins WBC interim heavyweight champion chose to meet fire with fire against the towering 6ft 7ins Pole. Both men enjoyed moments of success early on, but Kabayel’s concussive power soon told and, despite a questionable stoppage in round three, the outcome felt inevitable.
The victory further cements the unbeaten 33-year-old’s rise through the division and, afterwards, Kabayel made it clear that his ambitions stretch all the way to unified champion Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian has publicly stated his desire to defend his titles against 40-year-old Deontay Wilder — a bout that would see Usyk add a third member of the heavyweight era’s elite to his résumé, having already defeated Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
For Kabayel, however, one path he has no intention of taking is a fight with Fury. ‘The Gypsy King’ recently announced that his latest retirement is over and that he plans to resume his career in 2026. Speaking to the media following his homecoming win, Kabayel (27-0, 19 KOs) explained why a clash with the former lineal champion holds no appeal.
“Fury, no. I have no interest in the fight with Fury. He’s my brother, he helped me so much in my career. When I fought [Arslanbek] Makhmudov he supported me – I have no interest.”
Kabayel’s destruction of the imposing Makhmudov in December 2023 proved to be the launching pad for his current surge. That fourth-round stoppage on a Riyadh Season card announced him as a genuine force, victories over Frank Sanchez and Zhilei Zhang followed, and his latest statement against Knyba suggests the heavyweight division may soon have little choice but to take him seriously at the very top table.
Meanwhile, Fury may return against Makhmudov himself as he builds back towards a top-level fight towards the end of this year.