Agit Kabayal said today that he’s looking forward to defending his WBC interim heavyweight title against the big 6’7′ Top Rank-promoted Damian Knyba on January 10, 2026, at the Rudolf Weber-Arena in Oberhausen, Germany.
Body Shots the Equalizer
The 6’3″ Kabayel (26-0, 18 KOs) will be giving away four inches in height and a whopping six inches in reach to the 6’7″ Poland-born Knyba (17-0, 11 KOs) on January 10th. Kabayel, 33, smiled when told that he’s got the body punching ability to get in close and break Knyba down.
Kabayel states that he’s hoping to challenge for a world title against undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk next. He says he’d previously spoken with former IBF champion Daniel Dubois about a fight, but DDD changed his mind about fighting him.
“I don’t understand. Daniel [Dubois] says, ‘Come on, let’s go for the fight,’ and after, I heard nothing from Daniel,” said Agit Kabayel to BoxNation about how Daniel Dubois initially showed interest in fighting him, and then went silent, opting to go in the direction of an IBF title eliminator against Frank Sanchez.
You can’t blame Dubois for not taking the fight with Kabayel. He’s coming off a fifth-round knockout loss against Usyk on July 19th, 2025, and he’s going to face Frank Sanchez in an IBF title eliminator. Also, Kabayel looked intimidating in his recent seventh-round stoppage of Sanchez on May 18, 2024.
Dubois Walked, Knyba Stepped In
“I think it’s bad news, but it is what it is. I fight with Damian Knyba, and after the fight, we can talk with Daniel or other guys,” said Kabayel. “He’s young and he’s never lost. This is a good motivation for me. This is a sports competition. I like this, and he’s tall, he’s big. I think this is a very good fight for the fans.”
Knyba has never lost, but he also hasn’t been fighting world-level competition. It would mean something if he were facing A-level opposition, but he’s not. The 29-year-old Knyba has had it easy during his four-year career. These four are Knyba’s typical opposition:
Joey Dawejko
Marcin Siwy
Andrzej Wawrzyk
Richard Lartey Harrison
A Win That Could Open Heavyweight Doors
“The fans will say Agit Kabayel is the best body puncher in the division. Why not?” said Kabayel when asked if we could see him fight undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. “In Germany, there are so many Ukrainian people. It’s easy to make a full stadium with this fight. My last performance was very good. If Usyk accepts it, I’m ready.”
