By: Sean Crose
Agit Kabayel stepped into the ring in his native Germany on Saturday with an undefeated record and a reputation for crushing body shots. Boasting a resume of 26-0, the 33 year old heavyweight was the WBC interim titlist (it all seems so ridiculous). Kabayel would be taking on the 17-0 Damian Knyba, a New Jersey fighter by way of Poland. The 29 year old Knyba was a supersized (over 6’6) heavyweight who not surprisingly fired behind a long jab. The fight, which was scheduled for twelve rounds, would possibly help decide how the big heavyweight players would stock up in the post Usyk-Fury-Joshua-Wilder era.
Kabayel got right on his man at the bell while Knyba, not surprisingly, put his considerably longer reach to work. It was a close, high octane affair, thought Knyba may have edged it courtesy of two nasty uppercuts he landed on his opponent. The second consisted of a close three minutes fought at a blistering pace. With that being said, Kabayel was the more active of the two. A thunderous left rocked Knyba. Kabayel went for broke…and the referee surprisingly stopped the fight. While there was no doubt that Knyba was in trouble, he didn’t seem finished. Still it’s better that a fight is stopped too soon rather than too late.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Kabayel afterward, referring to the experience of fighting at home. “So many people come for me, to support me,” he added gratefully. Not surprisingly, team Kabayel made it clear they want Oleksandr Usyk. Now that he holds an interim title and has shown he can excite fans – at least at home, where the sold out crowd was electric – Kabayel just may see his dream come true. Is he ready for the brilliant Usyk, however? The answer may come sooner than some may think.
